Hybrids in the Outpost
by Grimm48
Summary: Talon meets a traveler on her way to the outpost and saves him from dehydration. He then follows his savior to the outpost where he wants to test his strength against humanities enemies. This travelers' name is Xu Huang.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Talon meets a traveler on her way to the outpost and saves him from dehydration. He then follows his savior to the outpost where he wants to test his strength against humanities enemies. This travelers' name is Xu Huang.

Pairing: Xu x Talon

Disclaimer: I don't own The Outpost or Dynasty Warriors

After fleeing from the Prime Order which launched an attack at a small settlement with thieves and gamblers Talon makes her way to the Outpost right at the edge of the country to Greyskin territory.

While she crosses a desert, she sees something white flapping in the wind atop of a dune. Getting curious, despite her initial thought of leaving the matter alone she climbs the dune and sees a large man who looks to be in his mid-twenties lying face down in the sand. She rolls him over with her feet, careful not to get to close incase he's pretending and just waiting to ambush her.

Once he's facing her she sees him breathe only very weakly, meaning he's most likely unconscious from dehydration.

"Ah crap, do I safe him or don't I?" She asks herself, sitting down next to the unconscious man and going through his things, which is only a bag with 3 pieces of gold, which she quickly procures for herself and a ridiculously long axe, even taller than the man himself.

"the fuck is that thing? Did he take that off a Greyskin?" She asks loudly.

"No, it's all mine." A raspy voice replies, and she looks back at the man who is struggling to get in a sitting position.

"Do you have water by any chance?" He asks, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I do." She says, not moving an inch.

"Could I have some? I don't have much money but it's all yours if you want." He offers, looking for his leather bag with the few coins inside.

"Uhh, you had money you mean." She says, throwing his bag up and down with one hand while she's still sitting next to him.

"That's fine, how about a guard on your travels? What I lack in preparation I make up with combat skills." He offers with a dry chuckle.

"Here, don't drink it all. It'll have to last us for another mile." She says, handing him a flask.

"Thank you. I'm Xu Huang by the way." He says, graciously accepting the flask and taking a careful sip out of it three times before handing it back.

"May I know the name of my beautiful savior?" He asks, standing up and leaning on his axe for support, having lied in the sand for longer than he likes to remember.

"You may not. And I don't need a guard, I just didn't feel like getting haunted by your ghost after taking your money and leaving you to die." She replies, already continuing on her way with Xu following her with a fair distance, throwing his axe over his shoulder.

"Alright, where are you headed?" He asks, jogging to catch up to her and matching her pace with obvious difficulty.

"The outpost." She says.

"Aren't I lucky. That's where I'm headed as well." Xu laughs.

"Why?" She asks, knowing it's a dangerous territory.

"Why not? I like to test my strength and from what I heard that's the best place to do it." He answers as though it'd be obvious.

"Sure…" She replies, not sure if he's stupid or just really careless.

"What about you?" He asks.

"I'm looking for a job in a tavern." She lies.

"Alright, you've got one customer already if I make it there." He says.

"Don't be dramatic, there's a lake up ahead, right over that dune." She tells him, pointing at the dune they're closing in on.

"really? Hurry up then." He says, rushing up the dune until she can't spot the giant of a man anymore after he got over the dune.

"Water!" She hears a shout and then a loud splash, making her smirk and shake her head before rushing after the curious man.

A couple days later the two travelers are walking through a foggy forest which should be just next to the outpost.

"Say, isn't it like really cramped in here?" Xu asks his traveler, who he's come to see as a friend though he's not sure she views him as the same.

"No, not everyone is walking around a forest with a 2-meter-long axe and is on eye level with every branch." Talon teases her tall companion.

"Hey! You didn't complain about my height when I helped you climb those cliffs. And my axe is 2.3 meters." He says.

"Great, an even bigger axe." She says sarcastically, looking back at him when suddenly a person appears to their left, having his hood up but his blistered face is recognizable anyways.

"Stay away." Talon warns him, on guard due to his sudden appearance and dead-like stare.

"Are you ill?" She asks, seeing the blisters, only for the man to open his mouth and a worm-like being to come out of his mouth.

"Freaky." Xu says, pushing her to her right so they go around the disturbing being.

The two then run through the woods with the man chasing after them.

The two then run into two other people blocking their way, both looking as sickly as the man behind them.

Talon stabs the woman in the chest and then kicks the other away with a back kick, before ripping her sword from the woman and stabbing the other man's head, asking "Why won't you die?" angrily before she gets tackled down by the woman and the man whose head she cracked is on her moments later, extending the worm-like creature towards her while she struggling against the combined grips of the two beings while lying on the ground.

Just as the worm is halfway to her face and a stinger comes out of it's maw the man flies right off her, landing impaled on multiple branches off a tree a couple feet from her.

"These things are nasty." Xu says, grabbing the woman's neck with his large hand and rips her off Talon, who quickly rolls away from the sick woman and gets back on her feet. While Xu is holding the rampaging woman in a hold and Talon grabs her sword to kills her somehow a crossbow bolt suddenly pierces through the woman's throat, almost hitting Xu who was luckily not standing behind her.

"They only die if you get them in their mouths." Garret, a soldier riding on a horse while holding a crossbow tells them while two others are by his side.

"We were doing just fine on our own." Talon says, brushing away dirt from her cloak.

"Obiviously." Garret says while looking the odd pair over.

"But what kind of soldier would I be if I didn't help you?" Garret asks.

"A generic one." Talon says.

The group of five, hear a loud screech coming from deep within the woods and turn to its direction.

"What are those things?" Talon asks.

"Plaguelings. But we can talk later, first we should get to safety." Garret tells them.

"Come on, you've got to ride with us, or we'll all die here." Garret tells them, offering his hand to Talon.

Talon looks over to Xu, who's standing relaxed with his axe over his shoulder, waiting for her decision. She accepts the hand and Xu walks over to the two other soldiers, getting on the small one's horse with ease.

"The gate's closed." Talon says when the group come up on the outposts' walls.

"At night the gate's always closed, they won't let us enter if the plaguelings are too close." Garret explains.

"Open the gate!" Garret orders the guards on top of the wall.

"I can't sir, marshal's orders." A guard tell him while the five get off their horses with a horde of plaguelings behind them.

"The marshal doesn't like it if we bring strays with us, so where are you from and what do you want here?" Garret asks the two newcomers.

"I don't answer to anyone but the marshal, especially not some random solider." Talon shoots back.

"Just think of something, won't you?" Garret says.

"I'm here to join your guards." Xu says, readying his axe for the incoming battle.

"Open the gate!" Garret yells up to his men.

"I can't captain." A guard shouts back.

"captain huh?" Talon asks with a smirk.

"Yeah, just some soldier, who happens to be captain." Garret says shrugging his shoulders.

The guards on the wall then open fire on the plaguelings, shooting their crossbow bolts at them.

When they open fire the others by the gate get ready to fight as well but are beaten to the punch when Xu is already rushing the remaining six plaguelings, knocking them over with the pole of his weapon, holding it horizontally.

One of Garrets men runs over to help Xu while the other three just look at the scene of Xu decapitating plaguelings after plaguelings with ease while the soldier stabs the plagueling he focused through it's neck but not before he gets stung by the worm's needle.

"That's all of them, open the gate! Sergeant open the gate, I take full responsibility." Garret orders, having a grin at watching Xu fight them off with ease.

"moments later the gate opens and the group, rejoined by Xu and the soldier rush through while the guards close it behind them immediately.

Once through the gate the three horses get lead away and Garret goes over to Xu and Talon, who stares at the gate where loud banging can be heard from.

"I'm captain Garret Spears. What is yours?" He introduces himself.

"What's wrong with those people?" Talon asks.

"Plaguelings, they spread their disease through this needle. So, what's your name?" Garret says.

"I'm Talon." She tells him.

"The hell? We travel for three days together, nothing and you meet pretty boy over here and zap there is is. Fuck this, I'm Xu by the way, not that you care." Xu says annoyedly, walking past Garret and bumping into his shoulder, making the man tumble backwards three steps.

"Well, now that introductions are out of the way follow me. You still need to convince Marshal Wythers of the reason you want to stay here." Garret tells them once he recovers his footing while Talon chuckles to herself amused by Xu's reaction.

When the group of three arrive in front of the Marshal's office the marshal is already sending a prisoner away.

"marshal Wythers." Garret says, announcing his presence.

"What can I do for you captain?" the man asks, looking over to the three with distrust.

"I collected two travelers." Garret explains.

"I can see why. She's a nice catch." Wythers says looking up and down Talon.

"Hah, that's your professional opinion as marshal?" Garret asks disappointed.

"I'm busy, don't beat around the bush. Why are you here?" Wythers says walking over to Talon.

"I am Talon, I'm looking for work." Talon says.

"Trade?" He asks.

"In a tavern." She replies.

"then let's both pretend you're looking for work. But believe me this, if you cause trouble, I'll throw you outside and send the creatures after you." Wythers warns her before moving on to Xu.

"And what about you?" He asks the tall man.

"I'm here to offer my services as a guard." He says.

"Aha, well you can talk to him in that case. He'll be responsible for the two of you during your time here." Wythers says, pointing at Garret and then walks away.


	2. Chapter 2

"So where is the best place to get something to drink, uh I mean work?" Talon asks Garett, leaning back against some stairs.

"At the nightshade inn. It isn't fancy but it's all we got, follow me and I'll show you where it is." Garett says.

"Not necessary, just tell me in which direction it is." Talon says.

"Oh, no. You've heard my father. I'm responsible for the two of you." Garret tells them.

"Isn't the marshal's name Wythers? How come your last name is Spears?" Xu asks.

"I chose this name when I became a solider, when I was 14." Garret explains.

"It sounds like the name a 14-year-old would come up with." Talon teases him and walks up the stairs, leading to a wall overlooking the greyskin territory.

"Deep below us are mines which are rich with ores and minerals, we're forging armors and weapons with them. As long as the Prime Order receives their shipments, they'll leave us in peace." Garret explains while he's leading the two newcomers over the walls.

"There are so many lights." Talon says, stopping and looking over the wall onto the wild area underneath them.

"Greyskin camps. My men count them every night, there are already more than 50." Garret tells them, looking at the fires with concern.

"Did they ever attack?" Talon questions.

"Once, they made their way up here but we were able to push them back and they've been quiet for 11 years. But everyone is still weary of these monsters, I was stationed at the front lines for three years. It is a bloody war." Garret tells them, making Xu grasp at his cloth, around his shoulders with sorrow.

"These monsters aren't the only ones being a threat. I've seen what the Prime Order does to the people. Who protects us from you?" Talon asks him pissed.

"I'm not a soldier of the Order, I'm captain of the border-guard." Garret defends himself.

"Same difference, you're still working and killing in their name." Talon says.

"the only one I killed recently was a plaguelings who was attacking a woman and his companion." Garret snaps back.

"Thanks for helping us. I'm in your debt." Talon says and starts to walk away.

"Do me one favor, don't do anything which will get me in trouble alright?" Garret requests but Talon only smirks mischievously and continues on her way.

"So, you want to join our ranks as a border-guard's man?" Garret asks the remaining newcomer, who towers over him by maybe 4 inches.

"Yes. I yearn to fight strong opponents and I've been told that this is the perfect place to do that. With this outpost being surrounded by plaguelings, spikewolves and greyskins." Xu tells him.

"Well, walk with me then, I'll show you where you can meet me tomorrow. I and a few of my men are going on patrol and I think it's best if you join us so we can assess your skill and abilities." Garret tells him, leading him a bit further down the wall until they reach the main gate.

"There, meet me over at the stables around midday." Garret tells him, pointing at a building.

"I will see you tomorrow." Xu says, extending a handshake, which Garret accepts and Xu leaves afterwards, heading for the tavern to look around.

* * *

When he gets there, he walks over to the man around his age who's pouring in beverages for the customers while Talon is already on the second level of the building, about to head down a corridor leading to her room.

"Hey, have you seen a gorgeous woman, about this tall with beautiful black, braided hair?" Xu asks Janzo.

"Talon?" Janzo asks excitedly.

"This is really starting to piss me off. Yeah Talon, is she around?" Xu asks, looking around the big room.

"She retired to her room, she looked tired." Janzo tells him, eyeing Xu with a mix of wonder and distrust.

"Meh, I guess I'll see her around then." Xu says and leaves the inn again, being penniless from when Talon took his money. Meanwhile on the upper floor Talon stopped at hearing her travel companions voice and is smirking to herself at his description of her and chuckles when he gets annoyed that she told the brewer her name.

Talon then continues her way to her room and gets in, throwing a blonde girl over her shoulder once she reaches the doorway and pins her down with her protesting, saying "let go off me."

"I need to hide in your room." The woman tells Talon who wordlessly gets off the blonde.

"Guests aren't allowed." Talon tells her.

"Please, I need your help. Down there is a man who will kill me once he sees me. I will stay here and leave in the morning." The girl says.

"No, you won't." Talon tells her.

"If he sees me he'll kill me." The blonde says fearing for her life.

"Who? Someone you cheated on Octagon?" Talon asks, throwing her bag on a table in the room.

"No, no. A member of the Order. You must've seen him." The blonde explains.

"Toru Magmoor?" Talon asks surprised.

"That is his name. How do you know that? Are you with him?" The blonde asks, taking a few steps back.

"You came to my room remember." Talon says shaking her head.

"If you hurt me my father will behead you. He's commander of the whole outpost. I order you to help me." The blonde tells her while Talon starts to climb out of her window.

"I'm on it. You should lock the door. I'll take care of Magmoor." Talon tells her, shutting the blinds behind her and gracefully makes her way to the ground by jumping onto a few things like stairs.

Once on the ground the blonde suddenly falls out of her window, landing behind Talon.

"He saw me go upstairs. Your room isn't safe. I will follow you." The blonde explains, seeing Talon's annoyed expression.

"I told you I'd take care of it." Talon says.

"I'm in great danger! You have to bring me home." The blonde tells her.

"Tell me, why is Toru Magmoor after you?" Talon asks.

"First tell me how you know his name." The blonde says.

"Can't you just disappear?" Talon asks, walking away.

"You will only get rid of me if you bring me home." The blonde tells her and follows Talon, who steals a sword out of the barrel in front of the tavern.

A couple minutes later Talon brought the girl to the commander's quarters where the blonde embraces Garret and gives him a kiss in relief.

Talon then explains how she knows Garret from a few hours ago after the knight stumbled over his words for a bit.

Once the girl is inside the building Talon gets paid 5 gold coins by Garret before she makes her way back to the tavern, where she waits for Toru Magmoor to leave.

* * *

When the tall man leaves, retrieving his swords and goes to an empty passageway to relief himself Talon confronts him.

Drawing her sword she waits for him to face her.

"Can't this wait until I've finished?" He asks annoyed.

"I've waited 13 years for this." Talon shouts angrily, waking Xu who has been sleeping on the street on the other side of the wall and makes his way to the entryway to see what the commotion is all about.

"My my, sounds like revenge. Who did I kill that you want to get revenge after all these years? Your father? No, your mother." Toru Magmoor says, drawing his two swords.

"A whole village. The valley of Garland." Talon snarls.

"Oh, yes. The blackbloods. We killed them all." Toru says remembering the event.

"Not everyone. One you've overlooked." Talon tells him, shaking her head.

"No, we didn't." Toru disagrees.

"You did, in the crypt." Talon tells him.

"The girl? The wolf killed her, I saw him shoot." Toru says.

"He missed." Talon tells him.

"I'll take care of him then once I've finished with you." Toru says angrily.

"He lives here? In this outpost?" Talon questions surprised.

"You didn't know did you? Yeah, he's just around the corner." Toru tells her cockily.

"Who is it?" Talon asks.

"That is of no importance to you anymore. You will be dead in a minute anyways." Toru tells her.

"Then at least tell me why?" Talon shouts.

"We were paid handsomely." Toru tells her and Xu arrives at the doorway to the passage, waiting there while staying hidden.

"Who paid you?" Talon asks angrily.

"Kill every blackblood. He didn't say any more than that and now I'll finish that task." Toru replies and swings at her.

Talon blocks his first two swings, before rolling underneath his third.

She then swings at him but Toru blocks it with his two swords. Talon attacks him from the side but He blocks this with one sword and slashes at her with the other.

Talon rolls aside and swings at his back, only for him to block with a sword behind his back.

Talon then kicks him in the back of the knee and tries to push him to the ground by throwing herself against his back but Toru is simply stronger and pushes back against her, throwing her against the wall behind her. He attacks with both swords again, one aimed at her head the other for her stomach, but Talon barely blocks this and punches him in the face. She puts some distance between then but not before Toru manages to slice her across her stomach. When she's lying on the floor, holding her wound with one hand Toru steps onto her sword when she tries to stab his leg.

"Who paid you?" Talon shouts, making him only chuckle evily.

Toru then attacks her again and she dodges the first two swings before she starts to wrestle for the swords with him, with each one ending up with one blade and they stab each other in the stomach simultaneously, worrying Xu who thought she was handling herself well against him to that point.

Talon is pinned to a beam of the wall while Toru is standing in the middle of the passageway.

Xu makes his way over to the two slowly while Talon tries to free herself to no avail.

Toru on the other hand manages to pull the sword out of his stomach and is about to stab the wheezing Talon again when a shadow falls over him and Xu stabs the man with the sword he's holding through the chest by twisting the man's grip so the blade is facing himself and then punching Toru in the back with enough force for him and Talon to hear bones shatter while the dead Toru Magmoor is falling towards the ground.

"What are you doing here?" Talon hisses out her face twisted up, due to the pain.

"Saving you apparently." He says, taking off his blue belt and then rips the sword out of her easily, throwing it aside and catching her when she falls forwards.

"Hold still." He tells her sitting her down on the floor, wrapping the blue cloth around her stomach, over her stab wound so it's as tight as possible, making her scream out in pain only for him to cover her mouth with his other hand to muffle the sound.

When she finishes her scream, he brushes some hair out of her face which has covered her eyes and smiles at her saying "Come on let's get you out of here." The next thing Talon sees it the sky when Xu lifts her up in his arms.

"Come with me." An older man tells him, already carrying Xu's giant axe.

"Who are you?" Xu asks suspicious of the man.

"Someone who's been waiting for her for a long time." The man says and leads Xu to his smithery.

Once there the two try to patch up the girl to the best of their ability, well the old man does Xu only holds her down so she can't struggle while the man stitches her up.

* * *

|next day|

The next morning the marshal inspects the scene where the dead Toru Magmoor is lying on the floor, having written "Tell Dredd one remnant" with his dying breath and the marshal order a manhunt for whoever or whatever is responsible for it, assuming the black blood belongs to the murder of Toru.

Across town Talon starts to wake up while the old smith is treating her wounds with a cloth, telling her "You can be glad I had some ointment remaining or you'd be dead by now."

She shoots up in pain at the contact and sees the old man who tells her "Stay still, you've lost too much of your black blood."

Talon, not knowing who he is and angered by her missing shirt grabs the man in a chokehold.

"I've helped save your life." The man says with difficulty.

"So you say, what else have you done? Why am I semi naked?" She asks venomously.

"Calm down braidy. We only treated your wounds. I'd never stoop so low as to force myself on someone, no matter how gorgeous and I'd never let anyone else do so either." Xu tells her, walking in the room with a fresh bucket of water, setting it down next to the other one and grabs Talons arms, prying them off the old man as gently as possible, making Talon scowl at him, feeling helpless against the tall man's strength.

"You've both seen too much!" She says, struggling against Xu's grip.

"If you mean your black blood. That's the reason I saved you." The old man tells her.

"And I don't give a shit. I have my own problems to worry about." Xu tells her honestly, looking deep into her eyes to show her he is no threat to her.

"You can't lose any more blood! Lie down right now." The smith orders her and Talon complies, passing out almost instantaneously.

* * *

When she comes to a couple hours later, she winces in pain and looks down herself, seeing her stomach covered by a bandage.

"I patched you up as best as I could, but I'm a smith not a doctor. As long as it's bleeding you need to lie down." The smith tells her.

"You were there last night?" She asks him.

"Yes, your friend and I brought you here and treated your wounds." He says.

"Is he dead?" She asks hopeful.

"Magmoor? Yes. Here drink this, it'll help stop the bleeding." The smith tells her, holding out a cup for her and helping her drink.

"disgusting." She says.

"Why did you save me?" She asks him, getting in a sitting position.

"Did you ever hear of the blackblood prophecy?" He asks.

"What?" She questions confused.

"I've spent half my life studying this prophecy. When the moon is burning a blackblood will call upon the murders of mankind to kill those who suppress the old." He tells her.

"Never heard of it." She replies, taking a bite from a loaf of bread.

"That is the reason however why people like Toru Magmoor want to see you dead, so the prophecy will never come true." He says.

"Well now he's dead." She says cockily.

"Dead he's even more of a threat to you. Others will come and look for his killer." He tells her.

"Good, let them come I'll kill them too." She says while putting on her shirt.

"I have something for you." The smith says, holding out a small rolled up parchment for her.

"I'm not interested in your prophecies." She says.

"It belonged to your kind and now it belongs to you. Remember those words but don't say them aloud" He says when she takes the parchment.

"Remember for what? They are meaningless." She says and starts to get dressed.

"Your wound is healing fast but it's still a fresh wound. Wythers is looking for Toru's killer and I bet you and your friend are on the top of that list." He warns her.

Where is my supposed friend anyways?" She asks, not seeing the giant of a man in the smithy.

"He has a rendezvous with captain Garret, so he can join the border-guard." The smith tells her.

"I see, thanks old man." She says, opening his door.

"We'll see each other again." He says knowingly.

* * *

Talon after leaving the Smithy makes her way to the Inn, sneaking past the couple guard who are scattered over the town and enters the building through the loading ramp in the basement. When she arrives down there, she takes off her shirt, to inspect her wound which is when Janzo enters.

"You, oh you're down here. Is everything OK?" Hey, that's a wound. You need a healer, I'll alert the guards." Janzo says, seeing her stitches while she tries to cover herself by holding her shirt in front of her.

"No, just take me upstairs. I'm OK." She tells him, making Janzo help her up to her room.

"Come on you're bleeding. You need help." Janzo says, entering the room after her with her trying to close the door.

"Not the help of a barkeep." She tells him.

"I'm brewer and I'm an alchemist. Listen I know some medicines and have very skillful hands. And I already know about your black blood." Janzo tells her.

"Don't talk about it or do you want to see us both dead?" She threatens him, pulling him in her room and pushing him against a wall.

"I won't tell anyone. I promise. Just let me treat your wounds. Whoever did this, did a poor job." Janzo tells her and she accepts the offer.

Moments later she is lying on her bed with Janzo removing the stitches and he pours some liquid on her wound.

"The wound goes through your organs; you should be dead. Was it a sword?" Janzo asks, cleaning her wound.

"Wait, the member of the Order they found dead. That was you wasn't it?" Janzo says, realizing how she got the wound.

"It was a bad man Janzo, he got what he deserved." She tells him.

I hate the Order as much as the next guy but bloodshed only leads to more bloodshed." He says.

"I'm counting on it." She agrees.

"Then we'll need to fix you quickly so you can escape." Janzo tells her.

"I agree." She grunts in pain and Janzo starts to spread some powder into her wound.

"Done, you won't even need a bandage. Just a lot of rest." He tells her and gets then called away by his mother.

* * *

While this is going on Xu and Garret take a trip to deliver weapons to a training regime with some guards. Once there Garret decides to test Xu's abilities, which ends in Xu fighting against 20 trainees as well as the five guards who arrived with them.

"He must be crazy to think he's got a chance to win, he'll be lucky to survive. I bet just Rodger, Fritz and Kurt would be enough to deal with him." Garret says, standing aside with the camp's commander at his side, who is one of his closest friends.

"He certainly got balls." The man says.

"Begin!" Garret shouts, and the group of soldiers annoyed at Xu, thinking he's being cocky and underestimates them rush at him like a wall coming down on him.

Xu smirks and poses his giant axe sideways with the pole towards the group, he then crouches down and once the group is only three steps away he takes a step and jumps forwards, hitting his opponents on shin level, causing almost everyone to fall over, landing face first and holding their shins while Xu rolls after flying through the crowd and jumps up, holding the axe ready, sideways behind him.

Garret and the commander who watched this lose their cups at this.

"Maybe he does show some promise." Garret says, seeing around 10 men hold their legs in pain while the ones to the far sides get back up and ready themselves for an attack, this time taking him seriously.

Xu sees the opponents wait for him to make the first move but he decides against using his axe again, because he could accidentally kill them with the force behind the weapon.

He rams it in the ground so it's sticking upwards and goes over to a table where a pair of gauntlets is lying. He slips them on while the group watch him confused.

Once he's equipped them he signals for them to come at him.

"Bold choice." The commander next to Garret says.

"Wise choice, for you at least." Garret says, hearing the wind howl violently against Xu's axe.

"What do you mean?" He asks.

"Look at that massive thing, if he hits one of the recruits, they'd probably be lucky to still be able to walk." Garret sighs, already knowing the man will cause him troubles left and right.

"True. Why do you look like you've been kicked in the balls? Isn't it great he decides to join us in the fight against he greyskins? And think of what he could do against the Order." The commander asks.

"Yeah, all true but I can practically feel the trouble he'll bring with him." Garret says, watching Xu fight off the remaining 15 soldiers in a matter of minutes with only the gauntlets.

"Sorry if I went a little overboard guys." Xu apologizes, helping some soldiers back to their feet before putting back the gauntlets and retrieves his axe, getting fearful stares from the soldiers, with the ones who haven't participated looking at him with either fear as well or awe.

"So, what'd you think?" Xu asks, standing tall before Garret.

"You definitely have what it takes and thank you for not using your axe on the recruits." Garret replies.

"No problem, in fact I need to look for a pair of custom-made gauntlets." Xu replies, muttering the last part mostly to himself but the two commander hear him.

"Why? Your axe looks plenty strong." Garrets friend asks.

"It is, but it's too big for some terrain. Like if I had to fight in a tunnel with it I'd be useless." Xu explains.

"True. Well I'm sure Garret can help you out with your weapon request, after all we have some of the best smiths in your outpost." The commander tells him, patting Garret's back.

"Yes, I'll see what I can do." Garret agrees grumbling.

"I already met someone I want to ask if he'll make me some gauntlets." Xu tells them.

"Who?" Garret asks confused.

"Oh I met this nice smith yesterday, he let me stay the night at his place because I was sleeping on the streets actually." Xu informs him.

"Well no need to worry about that anymore, you're going to be staying at the guard's quarters. You'll have food, shelter and a fair salary." Garret tells him, patting Xu's back as they head back to their horses.

"Thank you, I have a request though." Xu tells him.

"What is it?" Garret asks intrigued since he's the first one with enough balls to actually demand something while asking for a job.

"I would like to have the possibility of getting some time off duty, I'd like to go explore in the land beyond the walls and fight some greyskins." Xu tells him.

"Are you crazy?" Garret asks with a sigh.

"No, but I like to be prepared. I've fought against many creatures, but I rarely went head to head with a greyskin. Plus is you want I can gather some intel on their strength and locations…" Xu says baiting him into agreeing.

"Oh fuck, I'll get an earful from my father for this but I accept. You are way to strong to be used as a regular guard anyways. I was thinking for now front-line, meaning guarding against plaguelings and then you show potential to be the royal's guard, depending on your manners and loyalty." Garret tells him, already hoping he'll get Xu to join him as the princess's personal guards.

"Sounds exciting, I'm in." Xu agrees with a handshake, making Garret wince slightly at his strength.


	3. Chapter 3

That night, Talon is alone in her room she reaches over to her Jacket and takes the scroll the smith gave her, reading the words on the paper out loud and suddenly a blue glowing portal appears in the middle of her small room and a dangerous, gigantic demon steps out of the portal and looks at her curious, extending his hands towards her only for Talon to yell at it to leave her alone. The demon then jumps out of the window and uses the roofs to stay out of sight while Talon collapses from exhaustion.

When she wakes up the next morning the first thing she sees is a hole in the ceiling from where the demon penetrated it due to its height.

Getting up she sees that her wounds have healed, now only being faint scars on her abdomen and she smiles at this. While Talon is waking up Wythers is having a meal downstairs and notices Janzo scrubbing something away on the stairs, when he walks over to the awkward man he sees that it's black blood and follows the trail of droplets to Talon's room. Talon hears him coming and leaves through the window, making her way to the smith. Once at her room Wythers sees the damage done to the roof and the windows and asks himself what being did this, being big enough to penetrate the close to three-meter-high ceiling.

* * *

When Talon arrives at the smithy he greets her by saying "They're looking for you."

"I know, what is this?" Talon questions, holding up the paper.

"Now is not a good time." The smith tells her.

"Why?" She asks.

"Cause I'm here I'm guessing." Xu says, walking over to her from his seat in a corner.

"How's your wound?" He asks concerned.

"Healed." She says.

"Wow, that was fast." Xu says impressed.

"What is he doing here? Is he with you?" Talon asks the smith accusingly.

"No, he told me he's with you." The smith replies confused.

"Why would he be with me?" Talon asks suspiciously.

"What? I thought we were friends, even after saving your life from certain death you do not trust me?" He asks hurt.

"What do you mean save me?" She asks cautious of the tall man who is the first one other than Magmoor to be able to overpower her.

"With Magmoor, he was about to deliver the killing blow remember? I killed him instead." Xu says, looking at her surprised.

Talon looks at the smith with a questioning expression.

"He is telling the truth, I was there." The smith nods as confirmation.

"Thank you. I must've passed out before that." She thanks Xu.

"Don't worry about it, but I thought that meant we're friends and in this together." He says.

"I don't know yet." Talon only says, feeling guilty for not trusting her savior.

"I see. Well I guess I should go then. Smith, can I count on you for that order?" He asks, having brought over a pair of gauntlets he got from Garret for the smith to customize to his wishes, adding sharp tips to the fingers and making the joints in more, smaller pieces, giving him more freedom with it.

"Yes. You can come check in two days. I should've made some progress by then." He tells him, hammering away at a new blade he's making for Talon.

"See you around braidy." He tells Talon, putting his hand on her shoulder as he walks past her out of the shop.

"Hmpf." She only grunts, not amused by the nickname.

"Now, what is this?" Talon asks the smith after Xu left.

"Did you read the words?" He asks and sees a worried look on her face.

"Did you read them out loud?" He asks shocked.

"What if I did?" She asks.

"What happened?" He asks in return.

"This thing appeared out of the blue." She says, still freaked out about it.

"A Lokiri." The smith says, stopping his work.

"A what?" She questions.

"A Lokiri, it's better known as demon." The smith explains.

"A demon? Don't you think that would've been worth mentioning?" She asks annoyed.

"I told you not to say the words out loud." He defends himself.

"You could've warned me and how is this even possible?" Talon asks.

"Blackbloods are like a bridge between both our worlds. Did you banish him back where to his world?" The smith explains.

"How am I supposed to do that?" She asks.

"You mean he's out there in running free? You need to learn to control him otherwise he'll kill whenever he pleases.

"This is your fault, so you have to banish him." She tells him pissed.

"I would if I could believe me, but you are the only one able to do it." He tells her.

"I don't believe you." She says.

"I only want to help you, you have to understand who you are." He says.

"Why? What's in it for you?" She questions distrustful.

"Many years ago I saw something I can only describe as a revelation, it changed everything for me." He tells her.

"What revelation?" She asks.

"I will explain when the time is right, just know that ever since I have pledged my life to the prophecy, studies all kinds of texts and talked to teachers and then waited." He says.

"Waited for what?" She asks.

"You." He says honestly.

"There is a man in town, called the wolf. I will kill him and then I'm gone." She tells him after chuckling, not believing the smith and his half-truths.

* * *

Talon then makes her way back to the inn where the marshal is already waiting for her. Once she arrives, she fights of a handful of men before surrendering quietly.

Shortly after she's been arrested by the marshal Garret and a handful of his men arrive back in the outpost and Xu is there to greet his new commander when another guard informs Garret that Talon has been imprisoned by the marshal.

"Where is she?" Garret asks entering the prison with Xu in tow.

"Where she belongs. She is a killer." The marshal says.

"Is this your way of taking revenge? For me returning?" Garret asks, facing his father while Xu walks over to check on Talon, simply pushing the marshal's right-hand man, a mute called Danno aside.

"This has nothing to do with you, other for the fact that you were the one who brought her here. Why is she important to you? Is there something going on with the bitch?" Wythers asks, looking back to the cells where suddenly a bar is missing with Xu's hand sticking through the cell-door In its place.

"Sorry." He apologizes in a dark tone, glaring at the marshal with the four people in the room looking at him stupefied by his strength.

"No, I just don't want another person to die because of a mistake you made." Garret tells his father.

"I'm not mistaken this time. The evidence speaks for itself. She killed Toru Magmoor." The marshal says.

"Actually, she didn't. I was there." Xu tells the marshal, his axe leaning against his shoulder.

"Don't!" Talon tells him sharply.

"I killed him. He attacked Talon and was about to kill her when I intervened." Xu informs the three people who didn't know this.

"Oh really? How did he die then? What wounds does she have?" The marshal asks challengingly.

"He died impaled on his own blade along with a stab wound to his stomach. Talon had a stab wound to her stomach and a cut going horizontally across it. I was the one to impale him on his own blade. So if you want to fault someone for taking his life to save another's you're looking at the wrong person." Xu tells them.

"Why come forward only now?" The marshal asks still doubting him.

"I wasn't aware his death was going to be investigated, Order member aren't exactly known to have the best reputation and I assumed people would want his death to kept secret and just throw him outside for wolves to feed on him." Xu explains.

"What about her black blood then? She is evil and you are probably only under her spell telling us whatever you can think of to save her hide." The commander tells him.

"Are you telling the truth?" Garret asks Xu, walking over to the tall man.

"Yes, he swung at her and she only defended herself until I stepped in." Xu tells him in all honesty.

"I will see what I can do to save her and your life." Garret says and steps outside.

"We can't wait. You will be executed now, and your fate will be decided later. Danno chain him up." The marshal orders, pointing at Talon and Xu respectively.

"You're making a mistake." Xu tells him, getting his hands cuffed together by the mute man who struggles to take the heavy axe away from him.

"You said I have until dawn." Talon says.

"Tell the gods when you meet them." The marshal tells her while Danno enters her cell and puts her in the guillotine, chaining up her hands in the contraption with her hand being on the chopping block.

Garret heads to the commander quarters to fetch Gwynn's father to get him to stop the execution but Gwynn races to the prison after hearing what Wythers is doing.

"What you're doing is wrong, he got what he deserved and I only acted in self-defense." Talon shouts at Wythers.

The marshal then announces her punishment with Xu standing at the side impatiently, hoping that Garret will come back in time and he won't have to interfere.

"Stop, she is innocent. I give you my word." Gwynn says entering the prison in a rush with Garret at her side.

"Can you prove it? She confessed to killing him with his help." The marshal says, pointing at Xu.

"It was self-defense. Toru attacked her and he only came to her help. With my noble position I vouch for them, their fate lies with me according to law." Gwynn says, pointing at Xu and Talon.

"As if law, it's too late for new evidence. The death-sentence has already been declared and can't be taken back. Do it!" The marshal says and Tenno is frozen in place, knowing it would be wrong to kill her.

"Out of my way." The marshal says angered and takes the string, releasing the guillotine which then comes crashing down at Talon's neck only for Xu to throw himself in the middle of the contraption, stopping the heavy blade with his chains, getting cut into his right shoulder by the sharp blade.

"The lady is vouching for them. You have no right to do this." Garret tells his father, shoving him aside and pulling the string back up, securing the guillotine back at the top. When the blade gets pulled upwards Talon feels something dripping on the top of her head and looks up, seeing the white cloth Xu always worse turning red at his shoulder with a cut in it.

Garret and Xu help her out of her chains, and she shoots both men a grateful look.

The marshal, Garret and Gwynn relocate to the commanders office where the marshal asks the commander to approve of her execution, claiming his daughter is lying.

The commander initially agrees, since it'd save their neck from the Order for a while but Gwynn insists that they free Talon and Xu, getting her father to cave and tell the marshal to let the matter drop.

* * *

Back with Talon and Xu, after being released from the prison

"You need a doctor, come on I'll take you." She says, looking at his wound with guilt.

"Just take my axe would you?" Xu asks her, taking heavy breaths.

"OK." She agrees and fetches his axe, struggling against its weight a bit.

"Woah that thing is heavy." She says, dragging it behind her.

"Let's go to the smith." Xu says and they head to the smithy.

"Why won't you see a doctor?" She asks.

"You will find out once we're there." Xu tells her, panting a bit.

"I'm not sure you'll make it. That was a dumb idea anyways, throwing yourself into a guillotine." She says.

"And you'd rather have had your head removed?" He asks with a slight grin on his lips.

"No…" She replies.

* * *

A couple minutes later they reach the smithy.

"We're here." Xu says and pushes open the door, entering with Talon still dragging the axe behind her.

"What? Who…" The smith shoots up from his resting position on his bed.

"We need your help." Talon says, closing the door again and helping Xu to sit down against a wall.

"What happened?" The smith asks until he sees the cut in Xu's shoulder.

"What did this?" He asks, fetching a bucket and bandages.

"No, start the fire, you need to cauterize it." Xu tells the smith.

"cauter what?" Talon asks confused.

"Lie him on my bed and remove his shirt." The smith orders while he fetches wood and starts a fire.

"Come on, here sit down." Talon tells Xu, helping him over to the bed and sitting him down on it.

"Now, stay still. I need to remove your clothes." She says and starts to take off the clothes covering his upper body.

"See, that wasn't so bad…" Talon says before she freezes up in a mix of fear and confusion at seeing Xu's back and part of his sides being covered by small pieces of grey skin, looking as though he had on a partial armor.

"What the fuck?" She asks, stepping away fearful and grabs her dagger.

"What is going on here?" The smith asks, entering his home again with a few pieces of wood, dropping them once he sees Xu's partial grey skin and joins talon in readying himself for battle.

"Do what you must, but I am still human." Xu tells them tiredly, being used to people looking at him like a freak and trying to kill him.

"What are you?" The smith asks.

"Human, like I said." Xu replies.

"Then how do you explain all that grey skin?" Talon asks, looking at him with distrust.

"My village was decimated by greyskins when I was 7. I was the only survivor if you could call it that, half of my back was removed by Greyskins, I think they took it as a souvenir. Apparently, I wasn't big enough to eat so they left me to die. Sometime after they left someone found me and had the idea to replace my skin with that of the greyskins, there were two corpses lying around so he gathered skin from them and sowed in on me. I don't know why or how I survived but somehow my body adapted, and I've lived with this horrid reminder and a hate for the Order ever since." Xu explains.

"Who would do this?" The smith asks, putting down his sword, believing the story since he senses no ill intent from Xu.

"I don't know, he was ghostly pale and had a glowing spot on his forehead. That and his Order clothing is all I can remember. Now make up your mind if you trust me or want to kill me because if we wait much longer that decision is made for you." Xu tells them, holding his wound with blood dripping down his side.

"Talon?" The smith asks the girl, who's still on edge.

"Help him, I'll kill him later if I find out he's lying to us." Talon tells the smith, who gets back to starting a fire.

After the smith treats Xu's wound and he's lying unconscious on the smith's bed.

"Do you believe his story?" Talon asks the older man.

"For some reason I do. I mean he only helped you up till now, even saved your life twice." The smith tells her.

"What about his description of the man who did this to him?" Talon asks, running her hand cautiously over Xu's back.

"It sounds like a description I've heard of the 3. The leaders of the Order." The smith tells her.

"You know from what I can gather he is a half-blood like you now." The smith tells her.

"What do you mean?" She asks.

"Well you're half demon technically and he's partially greyskin. The tow of you are kind of in the same position, though I'd rather choose your condition than his." The smith tells her.

The next morning Talon leaves to inform Garret that Xu will need a couple days to heal up and finds him struggling against one of his men who turned into a plagueling so she rescues him by stabbing the plagueling through the back of its head, right through the mouth.

* * *

AN: Follow and review :)


	4. Chapter 4

Janzo is in the basement of the inn brewing when someone knocks at his loading door.

"Hello?" He asks only for the doors to open and a lifeless body to be thrown down, sliding down his ramp and landing at his unsuspecting feet.

Shortly after Talon and Garret come sliding down his ramp, closing the doors behind themselves.

"Talon, what are you doing? You should be resting." Janzo asks her.

"I'm feeling fine, you did a good job." She replies.

"You have to take a look at my friend." Garret tells Janzo, turning over the body of his former soldier.

"A plagueling? Are you crazy, bringing a plagueling into the outpost?" Janzo asks shocked.

"A dead one and he only turned within the walls." Garret tells him.

"Come on, put him down here." Janzo tells them, clearing a table while Garret and Talon lift the dead body onto it.

"What are you doing down here exactly?" Garret asks Janzo, inspecting the equipment along the wall.

"I disfigure corpses and make potions, what do you think? I brew." Janzo tells him sarcastically.

"Now back to the plagueling, what exactly am I supposed to do with it?" Janzo asks the two, looking at the corpse, now with his glasses on.

"Why do some people turn when they are stung and others not and how come he turned within the outpost walls?" The captain asks him.

"All over the lands everyone tries to figure it out, why in heavens name would you think I can help you?" Janzo asks him annoyed.

"Janzo, it was my idea to bring him here. You saved me with your powders, you're like a healer or a scientist." Talon informs him.

"Correct, I guess I am the most qualified." Janzo replies and looks into the corpses mouth while shining a light with a lamp when suddenly the worm shoots out and tries to stab him, only for the captain to stab it to the table with a fork.

Janzo takes the dead worm as test material, putting it in a glass jar.

"So what do you think?" Garret asks him.

"Think, about what?" Janzo asks genuinely confused.

"Plaguelings, how do they work and how do we fight them?" Garret asks.

"How am I supposed to know? It'll probably take years before I even begin to understand anything about these things." Janzo tells him.

"Years? We need answers now? What is the point of all this if you can't help?" The captain asks, pointing at his wall.

"To make ale captain!" Janzo replies annoyed.

"Look, if you want me to do this, I'll need more specimen. Where can I get more plaguelings?" Janzo tells him.

"We kill plaguelings every night, come to the pass." The captain tells him.

"I need the bodies here, where my tools are." Janzo says disagreeing.

"I'm not bringing more plaguelings into the walls." Garret says.

"Don't worry, next time just make sure they are really dead." Janzo replies.

* * *

While this is going on across town the worm, a drug runner working with the inns' owner kills her son who was tasked with following him and sends the woman the head of her late son.

After delivering the plagueling Talon and Garret make their way upstairs to the tavern.

"I've been meaning to thank you captain. I'd have been executed if it hadn't been for you." Talon thanks him.

"Just did what I though Gwynn would want." Garret tells her sounding not too happy.

"Is there something wrong?" She asks.

"Gwyn gave a bond to set you free, you have no idea what that means do you?" Garret asks her.

"No not really." She answers.

"If you break the law Gwynn is equally guilty and Wythers will cut off both of your heads." Garret tells her.

"Even if I were to do something, I'm sure her father can pardon her." Talon says.

"Not lawfully no. When the Prime Order comes to investigate, the whole thing puts Gwynn in mortal danger." Garret tells her, pulling her aside.

"Why does the Prime Order pose a danger to Gwynn?" Talon questions.

"I think it'd be best if you just moved on." Garret tells her after a moment of silence.

"Hah." She scoffs and pushes past him, bumping his shoulder.

"Oh before I forget. Xu is recuperating from the stunt your father pulled and won't be able to join your little guard crew for a couple days." Talon tells him as she makes her way up the stairs to head to her room.

"Pardon me. Lady Gwynn Calcusar requests the pleasure of your company tomorrow." Gwynn's handmaiden tells Talon.

"Tell Lady Calcusar I'd be pleased to attend." Talon says, giving Garret a challenging gaze.

* * *

|The next day|

While Janzo and the captain are collecting samples for his research Talon is at the commander's quarters, where Gwynn makes her bath and gives her a dress which pronounces her breasts, making her look even more beautiful as well as has her over for dinner after offering her her friendship, which Talon agrees to only reluctantly.

Later that night Talon enters the Nightshade Inn and receives a multitude of wolf whistles. Looking around amused her eyes stop when they get to Xu, who's sitting near the stairs leading up, his hurt arm in a crude sling.

"Look who's decided to dress up. I'm just glad you still have your braids otherwise you'd be hard to recognize." Xu tells her amused while she joins him, taking a drink from the stunned in place Janzo who was ogling her as much as every man other than Xu, who seems focused on her eyes mostly.

"What's your obsession with my braids? It's weird." Talon asks him with her usual mischievous expression.

"They suit you." He says, trying to brush her hair back, only for her to grip his hand in a death-like grip which doesn't bother him much but he retreats the hand, holding it up in surrender, guessing he crossed some kind of line for her.

"No one touches my head." She tells him, taking a swig from her mug.

"Sorry, I didn't mean anything by it." He apologizes, not breaking his eye contact with her.

"My my, I haven't seen a hussy turn heads like that for quite a while. Do you dance? Men would pay dearly to see you dance." The Inn's owner asks Talon, standing next to her at their table.

"Men would also pay dearly to see my pull out your tongue and tie it around your neck." Talon hisses back.

"Well if you change your mind you know where to find me." The woman says, not happy about the outcome.

"Didn't you say you want to take orders, deliver drinks and such?" Xu asks Talon, receiving a stare which signals him to shut up and he only shrugs his good shoulder in confusion before taking a bite from his meal.

"So you want to be a server, will you be dressed like that?" The Inn's owner asks.

"I'll wear what ever I please." Talon shoots back.

"Well, you better earn the money to pay back the repairs for your room. You pay it back starting tomorrow, you'll get three meals a room and whatever tips you can coax out of the men you serve and to do that I'd suggest you wear that dress." The woman tells her before leaving with Talon giving a silent nod as acceptance.

"Sorry, didn't you want this job?" Xu asks confused at her earlier reaction.

"I did but I wanted it on my terms." Talon replies.

"So your room, what happened?" Xu asks.

"Another time maybe. And why are you up already? You should be resting." She tells him.

"You're not the only one who heals faster than normal." He says, pulling his sleeve down quickly, giving her a glimpse of the cut being framed by angry red skin due to the cauterization of the wound and patches of grey skin already starting to cover the wound.

"I guess it's a matter of time before my secret is out as well." He tells her looking down sadly.

"What do you mean?" She asks.

"This tells me that every wound I'll get will turn to greyskin. Sooner or later my unique condition will be discovered." He sighs.

"Did this happen before?" She asks him.

"Everywhere I go. When you found me in the desert I was running from a town where a townsman saw me bathe in a lake and they organized a party to slay the beast." Xu replies.

"I know what you mean. I lived with a human family for a bit but they were about to throw me out until I… nevermind, I don't know why I told you this, sure we have to cover for one another but it's not like were friends or even all that close." She says and gets up to start climbing the stairs, looking down at Xu who slumps over with a sigh while his mugs handle crumbles in his grip, having gotten angry at her refusal to be friends.

She watches him leave the Inn with many people staring at him due to his massive height and stature. Once he's gone, she heads to her room and opens her window, seeing him walk down the street she can see from her window, his axe resting against his good shoulder.

"Maybe I should be nicer to him. I just don't trust anyone, and I don't intend to lie about that." Talon says to herself, closing the window and lying down on her bed after taking off her new clothes.

* * *

|the next morning|

The marshal and Danno are standing underneath Talon's window, where a murdered woman was positioned. The marshal sends Danno to follow the trail of blood back to its origin and looks up at Talon's window, throwing pebbles against it to wake her.

"Do you mind explaining why there is a dead body underneath your window?" The marshal asks her after she opened the window.

"Coincidence." She tells him, looking at the body.

"Come down here so we can have a discussion." The marshal tells her and a few minutes later Talon walks up to him, looking at the dead woman who she met in passing yesterday.

"You know this woman?" The marshal asks, seeing her stop for a second.

"No I don't, who is she?" Talon asks, feeling responsible since this must be the work of her demon.

"Probably just someone in the wrong place at the wrong time. It doesn't matter to greyskins who they kill, as long as they're human." The marshal replies.

"You think it was a greyskin. So why are you talking to me?" She asks.

"Oh, no reason just wondering why the woman is under your window, you know I had the same thing happen to me when I was a boy only it was a cat which brought dead rats." The marshal tells her.

"So you're telling me I'm keeping a greyskin as a pet?" She asks him.

"Talon, are you alright? I heard there was someone killed at the inn." Xu arrives, looking at her worriedly. The sling around his arm gone.

"I'm alright, it's just some woman I don't know." She tells him but he sees her haunted look and guesses that something is up.

"Marshal, good day. Do you still need her?" Xu asks the marshal.

"No, no. She can go." The marshal tells them, eyeing them like prey.

"What do you want?" Talon asks Xu, as they are walking away from the marshal.

"I know something is up, why don't you just tell me? Maybe I can help." He says.

"Because it's none of your business. Now leave me alone or I'll forget you saved me the other day and remove that handsome little head of yours." She tells him threateningly to get rid of him while she heads to the smith.

"So you think I'm handsome?" He asks smirking.

"Just leave me alone alright? This has nothing to do with you and I don't need your help." She tells him harshly.

"If you change your mind, you know where to find me." Xu tells her and heads to Garret to get his first assignment, but Garret lets him scout beyond the walls instead already having filled all position for the night.

'What is his deal, now that we're keeping each other's secrets does he think we're a team or what?' Talon thinks as she turns around to see him walking away in another direction.

* * *

When she arrives at the smithy Talon sits down at the smith's table, telling him "The demon thing killed someone last night."

"Only one? I told you the Lokiri would kill and it will happen again if you don't banish it back through the portal." The smith tells informs her.

"That's why I'm here. Teach me how." She asks of him.

"You don't need a teacher, you already know everything that is required." He answers.

"Ok stop talking in riddles, just explain what I need to do as simply as possible." She tells him.

"Command the demon buffalo back the land of shadow and ash." The smith tells her.

"Of course, everyone knows that." She says sarcastically, annoyed by his tone.

"Not everyone. Only you. It's in that black blood of yours. The black blood belongs to the ruler of the Lokiri and they follow an absolute line of authority." He informs her.

"So I just have to tell it to go back to the other world." She says.

"Well, you have to have no fear, not doubt yourself and act with authority but basically, yes. However, he hates you and it won't be that easy." He says.

"He hates me, why?" Talon asks.

"Because he doesn't want to return to that realm of torture and suffering, and it knows that you'd send him back there. The trick is not understanding how to send him away but to simply command it to do so." The smith explains.

|That night – Nightshade Inn|

While Talon is serving drinks, she checks every man's wrist for the double cross tattoo of the six.

"I think I was proposed to." Talon tells Danno, having just refused the advances of an older man.

"Somehow I don't see you contend being a miner's wife." Danno says amused while she takes a swig of her drink.

"How much worse can it get?" She asks tired already.

"Come on, it's not that bad. What are you searching for anyways?" He asks her, mixing up another concoction.

"What?" She asks surprised.

"The arms. You keep checking the arms of the men in here, maybe I can help." He tells her.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She says, setting down her drink.

"You can trust me. I've never told anyone about your secret." Danno reminds her.

"I'm looking for a tattoo, a double cross, the same one Toru had. He told me one of his friends is in town." Talon informs the brewer, pulling him aside.

"You're not planning on killing him, are you?" Danno questions.

"I just plan to ask him a few questions." Talon half-lies.

"Alright well, I'll keep my eyes open and when I see him, I'll grab him." Danno tells her.

"Did I mention that he's a murdering bastard who'd slit both our throats without hesitation." Talon informs him.

"Alright, then I'll let you know about him without alerting him." Danno tells her.

After their shifts Talon heads to bed while Danno checks in with his mother, who then informs him that the Worm is her source of Colipsum and intends to cut her off.

* * *

During the night Talon wakes up when she sees a shadow rush across her window and jumps up from her bed, looking out the window immediately and sees the Lokiri climbing the building opposite to her.

She quickly begins to follow it but loses it when she gets to the wall leading to the Greyskin territory.

"Excuse me, you're not allowed up here!" Garret shouts, opening the door to the wall, stepping out of the headquarters after having heard from a soldier that someone climbed the wall.

"Hello Talon, what are you doing up here?" He asks her, relaxing his stance.

"I uhm couldn't sleep and needed some air." She lies.

"It's almost dawn, far too late for a barmaid to be up." Garret tells her.

"And far too early for a captain." Talon replies.

"Yes well that is your friends' fault." Garret tells her, joining her in looking over the greyskin territory.

"How so?" She asks curious.

"He wanted to go scouting already, despite my concerns and I have to let him back inside the castle walls. Can't exactly make it public to everyone that one of my men is beyond the walls at night." Garret tells her.

"Well if it's any comfort, I'm not up here to make your life harder." She tells him.

"Yeah about that, I'm… It's just if you were to tell me more about yourself and what you're doing…" Garret tries to apologize for his earlier behavior.

"What's there to tell? I'm a barmaid." She shoots back.

"A barmaid with exceptional combat skills. I still can't understand how you killed captain Magmoor." Garret says.

"Didn't you listen? I didn't kill him. Xu did." Says trying to play innocent.

"We both know that is only partially true. Even though I still don't understand how that is possible." Garret tells her.

"Why? Because I'm a woman?" She asks.

"No, well partly yes. But he's also twice your size, a legendary swordsman and probably was even stronger than me." Garret tells her.

"I could show you." She offers.

"I'm not sure that is necessary." Garret says but she pushes him away while stealing his sword, pointing it at his throat.

"Men like you underestimate me." She says.

"I won't let my guard down again." Garret says.

"Good, then just maybe you'll be a decent match, to spar with that is." Talon tells him, handing him back his sword.

"Sounds dangerous." He says, taking the sword and inching closer to her until a dagger flies past his face, taking off a few tips from his hair, barely noticeable.

"What the?" Garret curses on guard, looking over the walls edge only to see Xu standing beneath them, looking up annoyed.

"What was that for?" Garret shouts down angrily.

"I had to get your attention somehow, I was shouting down here for the last minute but the two of you just didn't react." Xu shouts back, uncrossing his arms from his chest when Talon throws him a rope down.

Moments later Xu joins them on the wall, throwing his axe over the railing first before climbing over it himself.

"So, anything to report, recruit?" Garret asks, emphasizing his rank.

"Well there is one camp of Greyskins less, but they didn't have anything of interest on them." Xu replies, holding out a bag of Greyskin hooves.

"What am I supposed to do with those?" Garret asks, looking into the bag.

"I don't care, that's how I learned to bring a confirmation for a kill when I was a bounty hunter." Xu tells him, shrugging.

"Why are you out there fighting them?" Talon asks him, confused since he's partially a greyskin.

"I told you I want to test my strength. By the way if you two are sparring then I'm in, after I get my gauntlets from the smith that is." Xu tells the two of them, leaving no room for protest as he starts to walk away.

"He's a strange one but his fighting prowess can't be denied." Garret says, looking after his new recruit, who only wears the chest plate with the outposts banner on it, refusing to take any other protective gear.

"Yeah, I'll leave now as well. Afterall I can't be up here." She says teasingly and goes after Xu.

* * *

She soon catches up to him and gets in his way.

"What is it?" Xu asks her, stopping in front of her.

"You are strong right?" She asks him.

"I have yet to meet my match, yes." He replies confidently.

"How much do you hate the Order?" She asks him.

"Plenty, but what is this about?" He asks.

"Well the Marshal mentioned that maybe some Order member will come to town sometime soon and they'll be looking for me or rather what's in my veins." She tells him.

"So?" Xu asks, not knowing why she tells him this.

"I wanted to ask if you'd be up for a little payback on the Order when the time comes. Because if they send who I hope they're going to send it'll be me versus five or six trained killers." She tells him.

"Who are you hoping they'll send?" He asks, starting to walk alongside her.

"The ones who killed my people and my family." She says angrily.

"They all have these double crosses on their arms and were a band of mercenaries hired to do the Orders bidding." Talon explains.

"In that case I've got your back. On one condition." He agrees.

"What is it?" She asks cautiously.

"I want there to be full transparency on this matter. I know you have a hard time trusting people, believe me I understand it but I'm getting tired of being left out when all I've done is try to help you." He demands.

"I guess that's fair. But this brings me to a question, why are you helping me in the first place?" She agrees, shaking his hand.

"How else am I supposed to prove that I'm trustworthy and that my interest in you is more than one of carnal desire." He says with a smirk.

"So, you are interested in me." She says playfully.

"Yes, but you can save the act. I know you good enough to see that until you've revenged your family you won't be looking to start something real. But I'm a patient man." He tells her with a wink and turns in another direction, heading towards the guards sleeping quarters.

'Well I guess that makes sense, I thought he was still repaying me for saving him in the desert but it sounded like he was telling the truth. Hmpf, at least he's open about his feelings unlike that Captain who tries to get in my pants while having Gwynn hanging from his arm.' Talon thinks.


	5. Chapter 5

|two days later|

Garret, Talon and Xu are on the wall, sparring with Talon and Garret armed with their swords while Xu's getting used to using gauntlets to fight again.

"I have to say I'm surprised the both of you asked me to spar with you. I mean I was trained by the Orders finest." Garret tells them with Talon facing him and Xu doing pullups on a cross bar in the walkway, since 1v1 are the only option due to the small area they use.

"Oh really, fancy." She replies while Garret takes off his shirt.

"You know there are only a handful of men alive with my level of training." He says, readying himself.

"How about women?" She asks smirking mischievously and crosses swords with him, each parrying blow by blow but Talon has the upper hand when she kicks him in his chest after parrying one of his strikes.

"That stance is old neugerian. Is that where you trained?" He asks Talon who is in a sideway stance with her knees bend and her sword resting on one arm.

"Keep guessing." She tells him and he moves to attack.

Talon blocks the first swing and steps to the side, blocking the second one, after that she dodges the next couple of swings by ducking under Garret's blade or stepping aside until Garret manages to force her against a railing their swords clashed against each other with both trying to overpower the other. Talon steps to the side, making Garret lose balance and she raises her sword in a backhand grip to his throat.

"Ohh, nice move. Though very unorthodox." Garret compliments her.

"Alright someone switch with me, or the both of you can face me simultaneously, afterall I'm using double the amount of weapons." Xu tells them, dropping down from the beam and crackling his hands while putting on his new gloves.

"Getting cocky aren't we?" Garret asks him with a smirk.

"Why not?" Xu only replies grinning back.

"Alright you're on. I still have yet to see how you fight big guy." She agrees.

"Come at me then." Xu tells them, getting in a wide stance with his knees bend.

Garret is the first to charge at Xu and tries to slash downwards at him, only for Xu to grab the offending weapon with one hand, holding it in place for a second, giving the captain a victorious smirk when he turns the weapon so Garret's holding it sideways and gives it a strong tug, making Garret lose grip on his weapon.

"Again." Xu tells him, holding out the weapon for him.

This time Talon and Garret both start to attack him, Garret still attacking at high angles while Talon aims for his legs and midsection. Xu blocks the captains swings with the back of his hands and barely manages to dodge the first two strikes from Talon by backing up a bit.

Garret and Talon stop to look at one another and nod their heads, signaling that they'll attack simultaneously, and they charge at Xu, who crouches down a bit, readying himself. When Talon is almost face to face with him and the captain is standing next to her, still attacking at the same level as before Xu jumps up, right at Garret, grabbing the captains face and pulling it to the ground behind him, stopping halfway down though since he doesn't want to hurt him and simply releases his hold on his head, making the captain fall on his back with a cough.

"Impressive, try to catch me though." Talon tells him, getting low again since Xu's height gives him a disadvantage for this.

"Come on then." Xu nods at her.

Talon takes two steps while crouched and slashes at his leg, Xu steps back with the leg and Talon uses her momentum to jump up, against the railing and jumping at Xu from that point, hitting him in his chest with a knee.

"Very good." Xu says, readying himself again.

Talon again tries to attack him low and Xu this time steps into the attack, pushing against the sword holding arm with his foot, pushing it away from him and then leans forward, puhsing her down with his right forearm over her neck and his left leg still pinning the sword arm to the floor.

Talon grunts at the impact and tries to use her legs to choke him, raising them around his neck from behind, but Xu only smirks at her and uses his free hand to push down on her feet, causing her legs to lose their hold on his neck.

She frowns at her defeat and fakes a whimper, pretending to be hurt, making Xu release his hold on her immediately, sitting up beside her to check her for injuries, only for Talon to kick out his legs and roll herself on top of him, sitting down on his upper chest with her legs wrapping around his arms to keep them in place.

"You shouldn't believe every reaction in a fight." She tells him, grinning down at him victoriously.

"I thought this was only a spar." He replies with a grin of his own.

"I still won." She says triumphantly.

"Are you sure about that?" He asks and simply sits up, his arms still pinned at his sides with Talon hanging from his neck, sliding down his arms a bit and now is wrapped around his ribs instead while trying to push the man back down with her hands, only for him to get on his knees and lean forward, trying to fall as slowly as possible since Talon will take most of the impact and he manages to hold his hands out so he's basically in a knee-pushup position with his hands very far back and Talon wrapped around his torso.

"Last chance to yield." He tells her, their faces only millimeters apart.

"Never she says determined and he is about to pull his hands away and slam her into the floor with his weight on her when Garret clears his throat, saying "Gwynn."

The two, having forgotten that they're not alone during the heat of battle, look up to their other sparring partner, who's holding his back which is reddening from his fall.

They then follow his line of sight and see Lady Calcusar looking at them with poorly hidden mirth.

Xu gets up with some difficulty and Talon releases her hold on him, dropping down to the floor and standing pressed against him.

"A draw?" She offers.

"Sure why not." He agrees, slightly uncomfortable at being so close to her with an audience.

"Gwyn uhm we were just sparring." Garret tells the blonde who makes her way over to the three.

"Oh, Talon I've been looking for you all over." Gwynn tells Talon, simply running her hand over Garrets wordlessly as she walks past him to Talon and Xu.

"And who are you?" Gwynn asks Xu, not having been formally introduced to the man towering over them.

"I'm Xu. You must be Lady Calcusar. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He says formally, bowing his head slightly.

"Oh please, call me Gwynn, any friend of Talons is a friend of mine." She says and Xu looks at Talon with interest to see if she'll deny that they're friends yet again, but she keeps quiet.

"Well anyways I'm bored, how about we get into some trouble." Gwynn tells Talon and pulls her away from the two guardsmen.

* * *

On the way to the nightshade inn Gwynn says, "Just so you know Garret isn't easily distracted by women, other than me of course. I'm just telling you so you won't mistake his occupational interest in you as anything else."

"Gwynn if you think I'm after Garret let me assure you it's nothing like that. Men just won't believe that I can fight and want to test me." Talon tells her.

"Of course and from what I've seen you have a man of your own already anyways right? Or what's the deal with that Xu?" Gwynn asks her, grinning playfully.

"There is no deal." Talon tells her, continuing on their path.

"Really? From what I've seen the fire between the two of you could've burned down the forest around the outpost." Gwynn tells her with a smirk on her face.

"You must be mistaken." Talon replies.

"I don't think I am, I have a very good sense for these things." Gwynn says.

"Well your sense must be broken, because he and I are barely friends. We're more aquaiteances by necessity." Talon explains.

"A shame, he seems like a good match for you, afterall isn't is exciting to have such a strong man caring for you?" She asks.

"I won't say it isn't. I just don't have any intention of becoming someone's woman simply because they're strong and available." Talon tells her.

After entering the bar Gwynn pays off the bar's owner for a day off for Talon and the two girls start to play octagon against a few strangers. When one of their opponents threatens them with a knife Talon easily takes care of him even in her drunken state.

After she chased away the guy Talon and Gwynn go to Talon's room where they fall asleep instantaneously on her bed. While this is going on across town the marshal is asking Gwynn's former teacher about the girl and hears that Gwynn's room is very private, giving him the idea that he has to look through it. In the prison the Worm is getting tortured by Manny in order to find out who the colipsum supplier is.

* * *

|next morning|

"Morning Marshal." Talon grumbles, waking in her bed with Talon's feet in her face which she puts away and sits up afterwards.

"A good morning." Marshal replies.

"No, not really." She grumbles groggily.

"And you Lady Calcusar, my men have been on the lookout for you for quiet some time." The marshal tells her, waking up the blonde in the process.

"Would you care to explain?" Garret asks accusingly, arriving on scene with Xu.

"Explain what?" The two girls ask.

"You ditched your escort and disappeared. I feared you were dead." Garret tells them sternly.

"We had too much to drink, we came here and passed out. Is there something wrong with that?" Talon questions.

"Everything is wrong with that, she could've been attacked and killed." Garret scolds them.

"I was never in any danger, I was with Talon the whole time and apparently she can even best you in a fight, so she's the better protection anyways." Gwynn tells him with both Wythers and Xu snickering quietly.

"Gwynn, come with me! Now!" Garret orders her and she follows him grumpily.

"From now on you stay away from her." Garret tells Talon a final time before leaving with the blonde, leaving a frowning Talon, Wythers with a loaded crossbow and Xu behind.

"You know I was thinking, I could just shoot you now and be done with it." Wythers tells her, focusing his attention on Talon with Xu leaning in the doorframe.

"Why are you even here?" She asks.

"It's a beautiful morning, why don't you open the window and take a look outside." The Marshal tells her.

"Go on act surprised, good luck explaining this one." The marshal tells her while she looks outside with Xu also taking a look, standing beside her.

"Who was he?" Talon asks bitterly, looking at a dead man impaled onto a wagon's handle.

"A poultry farmer from the old end of town, that's also where he died, I assume since that is where most of his blood was found. Afterwards he was dragged across town and nailed to your window like a love letter. If I didn't see him on guard tonight myself, I could've sworn that he did it." The marshal tells her, pointing at Xu.

"It wasn't me. I was with Gwynn." Talon defends herself.

"It doesn't matter to me, you see the Gatekeeper, which is me. Decides who gets to stay and who doesn't and no one, even the commander can't interfere with that, so I'm ordering you to get out of my Outpost and never come back." He orders.

"I can't do that." She tells him.

"Oh, you will do that, you will! You have until sundown before I throw you out." He warns her.

"And when the killing continues even after I'm gone?" She asks.

"I'm willing to wager that whatever you brought will leave with you. Now you've got until sundown, I'll be waiting at the gate." The commander tells her and takes his leave.

"So, care to explains what the fuck is going on? We agreed on complete honesty." Xu reminds her, closing the window and door after the marshal left.

"You're right. But it won't matter anyways if I'm being kicked out tonight, I only have this last chance to catch it." Talon says.

"Catch what?" Xu asks more firmly this time. Standing directly in front of Talon.

"A demon. I summoned a demon and only I can banish him. That is what the smith told me at least." Talon explains angrily.

"A demon? How does that happen?" He asks shocked.

"I didn't know I was summoning a demon, I only read some words the smith gave me and poof there is a foul, scary demon standing in my sleeping quarters." Talon tells him.

"Great, let's say I believe you and I'm trying, what's the plan here? How do we catch it and what do we do then?" Xu asks her.

"According to the smith I can banish it to where it came from, but I haven't seen it since I summoned it." Talon informs him, looking at her hands feeling lost.

"Why does the smith seem to have all the answers?" Xu asks wondering what role he plays.

"Because he does but he doesn't share them with anyone." Talon tells him, annoyed at the smith's riddles herself.

"Great, what now then?" Xu asks her.

"First I need to look around and see if I can find any trail of it." Talon says, getting up and the two head to the market, which is in the middle of the outpost to start looking around from there.

* * *

"About time you helped out a little bit." Janzo tells Talon, seeing her arrive with Xu.

"Not right now." Talon says, watching her surroundings focused.

"Last night you left me high and dry it's the least you can do." Janzo tells her, struggling with unloading a barrel.

"Here, let me." Xu says, leaning his axe against the cart and easily picks up the barrel, putting it next to the ones already set on the table.

"Any luck finding that bones tattoo?" Janzo asks her, pulling her aside while Xu unloads his cart.

"It feels like I've checked half the outpost." Talon tells him.

"Same here, either he's already left the outpost, or he keeps his arms covered." Janzo says.

"So you and Lady Calcusar made quite the scene last night." Janzo says.

"Gwynn, yeah we had fun." Talon says with a small smile.

"Captain Garret seemed pretty mad." Janzo says.

"He was." She agrees.

"You know, don't tell anyone but she is madly in love with him." Janzo whispers to her, while Xu is unloading the last barrel.

"Well I'm sure they are perfect for each other." Talon says.

"Who?" Xu asks, joining them and retrieving his axe.

"Gwynn and Garret." Janzo answers.

"Well that'd be great, maybe then he'd shut up about her, granted I think he wanted to convince me to become her personal guard but still it feels like I know more about her than my own mother now." Xu says annoyed.

"He talks about her a lot huh?" Talon asks curious about him.

"Yeah, look you have two fine men here interested in you. So do us a favor and don't ask us of all people about him if you're interested in him. I mean I'll still help you but I'm gonna be in a real sour mood." Xu tells her, giving her a stern look at hearing the girls interest in the matter.

"Two?" Janzo asks, mentally catching up to what is going on.

"Yeah I mean you do like Talon don't you?" Xu asks him.

"Yes…" Janzo says, sounding unsure.

"There you have it, now let's go Talon if we want to stop you from getting thrown out of the castle, we don't have much time." Xu tells her and drags her after him for a change with her looking back at Janzo with a sly smirk, grinning since Xu addressed that both men like her.

"I think you broke Janzo." She tells him, retrieving her arm from Xu and falling in step next to him.

* * *

For the rest of the day the two look for clues around town until they finally find something at the entrance to the tunnel network. Meanwhile The captain brings Janzo another corpse and Janzo investigates his lead on the worm's supplier, having noticed the bird excrement on the man's jacket and figures out that he's using pidgeons to communicate with the supplier which results in his mother beheading the crook.

That night Talon and Xu make their way to the tunnel system while the marshal orders his men to start looking for her after she doesn't show up at sundown.

"Where are we going from here?" Xu asks Talon after they both jumped down into the tunnels.

"I don't know yet." She tells him, shining her torch around, with him doing the same in the other direction, armed with his new gauntlets, since his axe is useless down there.

Talon wordlessly starts to lead them down through the tunnels with Xu watching their rear.

When they get to a wide area where multiple tunnels spread from, meaning it must be some sort of central point Talon motions for Xu to stand ready.

"I know you're there. You can't kill anyone else. I won't let you." Talon says into the empty room.

"That's right, hide. You know what I am." Talon says hanging her torch onto a wall and going into a tunnel branch. When she is in the tunnel the demon suddenly drops down behind her, having been on the ceiling.

"Talon!" Xu shouts, alerting her to the threat and the demon slashes at her with it's one long claw, making her bleed from her neck just a tiny bit.

"I command you, return to your world!" She says breathing heavily, fearing the creature almost twice as tall as her.

The Lokiri however simply hits her with the back of its hand and throws her into another tunnel branch. Upon seeing this Xu immediately storms to her side, helping the girl up who looks at the Lokiri with fear. Xu then looks towards the demon himself, unsettled by the height of his opponent, this being the first time in a decade that he is fighting against someone taller than him, save for the few greyskins the other day. But he still faces it head on, clanking his fists together twice.

"Stop, it will kill you." Talon warns him.

"If you didn't bring me to fight then you shouldn't have brought me at all, there is no way I can stand and watch from the sidelines while the woman I care about is facing her death." Xu tells her sharply, moving so he's directly in front of her and the Lokiri shifts his focus from Talon to him.

"That's right big guy, you're not the only one taller than everyone else." Xu says, grinning nervously.

The Lokiri rears its arm back wide, intending to slice him apart with its long claw but Xu raises both his arms to the side, blocking the swing without flinching.

The Lokiri lets out an annoyed growl and adds his other arm, making Xu block that attack, removing one arm from the other claw and stand in between the two claws.

He takes a deep breath and pushes back against the claws with all his might, throwing them off him and he crouches low, kicking at the demons leg with a sweep, knocking the big beast over.

"What are you doing? Run!" Talon tells Xu, watching him fight the demon head on like a madman.

"I'm just getting started." Xu tells her, intending to attack the demon now that it's on the ground but instead gets kicked in the chest by the being with enough force to dent his chest armor and send him tumbling back a few steps.

"Fuck." He curses, coughing a few times during which the demon gets back up and approaches him, intend on ending his life but Talon gets in front of Xu, hitting him In the head with the butt of her sword to knock him out.

"Leave!" She yells, glaring at the demon who stares her down unfazed and simply pierces her stomach with one of its long claws before taking its leave while Talon collapses next to Xu losing consciousness once the Lokiri is gone.


	6. Chapter 6

"Fuck! If she isn't dead already, I'll give her a piece of my mind." Xu groans waking up with his head and chest throbbing in pain and pushes himself off the ground with his hands, only to see Talon lying next to him unconscious with a pool of black blood beneath her.

"Oh, no. Oh no." He says freaking out and puts away his gloves, checking if she's breathing by holding his hand over her mouth and feels a faint breath. Xu quickly lifts her up and carries her out of the tunnel system, heading straight for the nightshade inn, remembering that she mentioned how Janzo saved her once already. Once he arrives at the tavern he opens the doors to the basement and eases her down before going into the basement himself and picks her up again, carrying her over to one of Janzo's tables, where he lies her down and undoes the bottom part of her shirt, enough so he can see her wound, which is oozing with black blood.

While this is going on Garret and most of the outpost hold a ceremony for a few of the dead soldiers, amongst them Garret's friend and the marshal uses the opportunity to look through Lady Calcusars possessions, finding a ring which proves that she is the princess instead of the commanders daughter but he and Danno get interrupted by her handmaiden, who threatens to inform the girl and when the marshal tries to knock her out he accidentally snaps her neck and tasks Danno with hiding her body.

* * *

"Talon? Xu?" Janzo asks shocked to see them down there.

"Help her. She's been stabbed." Xu orders the brewer, who gives Xu a cautious look before rushing to help the girl on his table.

"What happened?" Janzo asks while he collects a few items to treat the girl.

"I don't know out friend here knocked me out in the middle of a fight. And when I came to the opponent was gone. But I intend to find out." Xu explains, leaving out the demon information while he goes to fetch some water in a cup and throws it in the girls face, waking her with a jolt.

"What the fuck?" She says angrily, trying to sit up only for Xu to hold her down so she won't stress her wound.

"What happened after you decided to knock me out?" Xu asks her, glaring down at the girl, who winces, touching her wound.

"Where am I?" She asks until Janzo joins the two, carrying a few medicines.

"In the Inn's basement. You mentioned how Janzo saved you once I'm hoping he can do it again." Xu tells her.

"Yes, well give me some room please." Janzo tells Xu, pushing the giant away with some difficulty and takes his place in front of talon with Xu leaning against a wall, checking his head where Talon hit him.

"What happened? Who did this to you? What did he stab you with?" Janzo asks her.

"Doesn't matter." She grunts.

"Come on we need to inform the watch immediately, it's wrong that whoever he is he gets away with it." Janzo says, cleaning her wound.

"It. Not he, whatever it is you mean." She corrects him.

"I can't let it kill anymore innocents." She says feeling helpless while Janzo is grinding some ingredients.

"You keep saying it. What kind of it?" Janzo asks her unsettled.

"A demon and I could've stopped it if you didn't knock me out." Xu says, glaring at Talon while holding his head with her glancing towards him with a sorrowful expression.

"Don't kid yourself It'd have killed you. I saved your life." She tells him.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, you know if you didn't want my help you didn't have to accept my offer, I'd still be in the dark and none the wiser." Xu says pissed.

"Demon, you must be kidding." Janzo says shocked.

"No, we're not. It's even taller than me and has two long ass claws for finger." Xu tells him.

"Just fix me up, I'll handle it." She says, sounding close to tearing up.

"You know I would advise you to get some help." Janzo says.

"It would kill you." She tells him.

"Oh heavens no, I didn't mean me. I meant someone who'd be useful in a fight, someone like Garret." Janzo tells her.

"Oh fuck all of you. If you decide you can trust me enough to let me actually do something I'm not hard to find." Xu tells her through gritted teeth and leaves through the loading doors.

Shortly after Janzo's mother calls for him and stares at them.

"Do you think she saw me?" Talon asks.

"No, her eyesight is terrible." Janzo tells her and finishes treating her wound, telling her to rest up afterwards.

Janzo gets tasked to write the suppliers a message and the marshal confronts Gwynn, her father and Garret about what he found out, claiming to have paid off the handmaiden and sent her away. He then demands that the princess orders for Talon to be executed, for her true lineage to stay secret from the Prime Order, telling them that he also has a letter with a trusted person, who'll send it to the Prime Order if he meets an untimely end. The princess agrees reluctantly, betraying Talon's friendship.

* * *

After the princess's agreement Garret rushes to Janzo's basement where he finds Talon and warns her but his father followed him and arrests her. On the way to the cells Talon is lead through town with a sack over her head when the mercenaries, responsible for her family's death arrive in town.

"Hello, it's been a long time." The leader greets the marshal.

"You're not welcome Shax, I decide who can come through that gate, you and your band of thugs can turn right around." The marshal tells him.

"You don't want to cross me today. Because me and my esteemed colleagues are here on orders of the Prime Order." Shax tells him, handing him a parchment with the order.

"And what business requires your kind of twisted skills?" Wythers asks.

"Do you know who killed Toru Magmoor?" The mercenary asks.

"I have a few leads." Wythers says.

"Look, I'll make this easy for you, I'll be gone from your Outpost the moment you hand me a dead body with pointed ears and black blood running through its veins." Shax tells him.

"Pointed ears? Black blood? I'd say you're joking if I didn't think you to be incapable of humor. Well if I find one the Prime Order will be the first one to hear about it." Wythers promises him and leads away talon to the cells.

After his father brought Talon to the prison Garret thought it'd be right if he told Xu of the current situation. He finds the man on his post at the wall overlooking the greyskin territory.

* * *

"Xu. Come here, I have to tell you something." Garret says, calling him over.

"What is it captain?" He asks.

"Talon is to be executed, my father pushed Gwynn's hand and she had no choice but to agree. In addition to that some mercenaries just showed up who are demanding her head, saying they are looking for someone with pointy ears and black blood." Garret tells him quietly.

"Excuse me, I'm afraid I'm not feeling too well. Please get someone else to cover my post." Xu tells him through gritted teeth and leaves. As he walks away Garret sees the man's fingers turning white from gripping his axe with all his might.

"I just hope I just didn't make things worse." Garret says watching the man head for the prison.

"Why are you doing this? Protecting me from Shax so you can murder me yourself." Talon demands to know from the marshal while she's strapped into the guillotine.

"You should be grateful, my blade's quick, their way they'll torture you for years before they finish the job." The marshal tells her kneeling to her eye level.

"Just let me kill him, then you can have your way." Talon tells him furious.

"Interesting, what did Shax do to you?" Wythers asks.

"He and his men killed my family." Talon informs him.

"Tempting but Shax's death would leave so many lose ends. The Order would have its nose poking around here which isn't good for anyone." He tells her.

"They killed my family, my whole village!" She shouts angrily.

"What's done is done. Danno." The marshal says, telling the mute to get ready to drop the guillotine, when the door suddenly opens and Xu enters, his axe over his shoulder.

"How'd you get in here? I ordered not to let anyone other than the commanders family and my son to be let inside, even placed a dozen guards outside." Wythers asks, glaring at Xu.

"Oh you know, they were rude and needed to be taught some manners." Xu says, rubbing some blood of his gauntlet into his coat.

"Danno, finish it." The marshal says, only to have Xu's pointy fingertips wrapped around his throat.

"Danno, secure it and come over here, unless you want to find your marshal's blood all over this place." Xu tells the mute, glaring at him threateningly.

He quickly secures the line and steps away, despite the marshal protesting.

Xu pushes the marshal aside and makes his way to talon, putting his axe against the guillotine and grabs a chain, keeping her in the contraption and simply janks at it but it doesn't budge much so instead he simply tells Talon, "Look down." With a pissed of expression on his face. The marshal gets his hopes up that Xu wants to kill her himself but instead of killing her Xu kicks over her head, snapping the board holding her down in the contraption in two, making her chains come off as well.

The marshal gets angry and takes his sword, intending to finish what he started when suddenly the bars on the floor shoot up and the Lokiri climbs into the prison, shocking everyone but Xu, who instead grabs his axe and glares at the demon, intending to have a rematch now that he has his favorite weapon with him.

The demon grabs Wythers by his throat and lifts him up, choking him.

Talon then orders the demon to release the marshal in her blackblood tongue and the demon follows the order since Talon is no longer afraid with death having hung over her head seconds ago.

Garret enters the prison and the demon snarls at him.

"Stay back!" Talon orders both Garret and Xu.

She then orders the demon to leave and he jumps down to the sewers again.

"The fuck Talon?" Xu yells angrily, throwing his axe into a wall, leaving a huge gash in it.

"The hell was that? What the hell are you?" Garret shouts at her and sees her bleed black blood.

"Those murders, was that you? You and that thing?" Garret asks her accusingly.

"I can't control it, I'd have never let it kill those people." She tells him hurt at the implication.

"But it obeyed you just now." Garret says.

"That's the first time. I spoke in my ancestral language, maybe that's why." She tells them while Xu retrieves his axe with a sour expression.

"So what now?" Talon asks the marshal who is leaning on a table, clutching some booze while trying to catch his breath.

"The black blood, is that why you can control it?" The marshal asks her.

"Something like that." She answers.

"That's why the Prime Order wants you so badly." The marshal says.

"You have to let me go." She tells the two men, ignoring the fuming Xu for now.

"Why?" The marshal asks.

"Because I'm the only chance we have at ridding us of that thing." She informs them.

"One remains. Is that about you or that thing?" The marshal asks her, recalling Toru's last words.

"Me. There are many more Lokiri or what you call demons." She tells them.

"Oh good, that's a relief." The marshal says, still leaning on the table.

"I want you to fix this, all of it. Just make it go away. I want everything back the way it was and then you leave this place. Are we clear?" The marshal demands from her.

"Yes." She agrees, giving Garret a passing glace while he stares at her like she's a monster and leaves the prison with Xu following after her.

* * *

Talon heads for the smith after the Lokiri encounter in the prison with Xu following her with some distance.

Talon tries to get more answers from him before facing the Lokiri again and learns that the power of opening the portal was apparently handed down to her by her mother.

"smith. Leave!" Xu says, entering the smithy and putting his axe against a wall next to the door.

"What?" The smith asks stupefied.

"Now!" Xu almost snarls at the man, stepping closer to Talon and him.

"Just, give us a minute please." Talon requests and the smith complies, giving Xu a wary look on his way out.

"What is your problem?" Talon asks Xu, facing him head on, after the smith left.

"Oh, chose." He growls at her.

"What? Are you sad that you didn't get to show off your little axe?" She asks him tauntingly.

"Don't push your luck, just cause I care for you doesn't mean I won't kick your ass." He tells her.

"Oh really, I'd like to see that." She tells him challengingly and pushes him away.

"Alright, if that's what it takes to get you to listen for once." He grumbles, taking off his gauntlets and walks back over to her, while she gets in a low position, ready to fight him. She punches him in the face and kicks his side with him standing there.

"What? Afraid to hit a girl?" She taunts him with him only staring her down.

She then does a front kick and he slides to the side, making her miss and grabs her leg, pushing it upward while leaning in her direction, making the two land on the floor with him holding her down, taking her hands and holding them over her head, pinning those down with one of his larger hands and kneels down on her thighs, pinning her legs to the floor.

"Now listen. I can live with you fancying the captain, it's not my decision who you like but you have no right to continuously doubt me after I've saved your pretty little ass more times than I'd like to remember." He tells her, glaring down at the girl.

"pheh, I never needed your help." She tells him with a scoff.

"Right, well have it your way then. Don't order me around anymore and just so you know your lady friend, Gwynn she sold you out." Xu tells her, releasing his hold on her and leaving the smithy.

"What was that about?" The smith asks, having heard the fighting and sees Talon dusting off her clothes when he enters his home.

"Nothing you need to worry about, he's just angry at me." Talon says.

"Why?" The smith asks.

"He has his reasons and I can't say I disagree. I haven't treated him very well the last few days." She says.

* * *

That night at the nightshade inn Talon is sitting at a table, fumbling with some Octa cards and drinking her ale. When she sees Xu enter the tavern, fetch a drink and take a seat far away from her.

Just as he leaves Shax and his men enter the tavern along with Garret, who accepts a drink from Janzo and heads right for her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Garret asks.

"What?" She says.

"About what you are." He says.

"I'm still the same person, plus I told Xu and look how that turned out." She tells him, nodding over to Xu who's basically glaring at her from his table.

"Well I'm not him and you should've told me." Garret says.

"No, you're not and why should I have told you? So you'd know the real me disgusts you?" Talon asks him.

"I don't know what to think. I mean you control this creature that is killing people." He tells her.

"I do not control it. Did you tell Gwynn?" She says.

"Yeah, I told her that Wythers let you go but I didn't tell her how it happened." Garret says.

"Do you know why she turned on me?" Talon asks him.

"All I can tell you is that she didn't have much of a choice." Garret tells her.

Behind them the mercenaries are checking every woman's ears.

"What are they doing?" Garret asks her, glancing behind him at the sound of someone squealing slightly.

"Checking their ears." Talon informs him.

"They are the bones aren't they? The men who killed your family. So the plan is first the bones and then the creature?" Garret asks her disappointed.

"Why shouldn't getting rid of that creature take precedence over getting revenge?" Garret asks her.

"All my life I've searched for those men. I just feel like I can never fully control the Lokiri until I clear my mind of this, until I can put my past behind me. If it makes you feel any better I'm hoping to solve both problems at once." She tells him.

Across the room Xu is drinking his ale, his anger still burning strong inside him after Talon blew him off once again.

"Hey you, let us see that girl next to you." One of the mercenaries tells Xu demandingly and tries to reach for her, letting Xu see his tattoo.

"Does she want to get touched by your dirty hands?" Xu asks plainly, taking a sip of his ale.

"Listen here, I'm not going to tell you twice to leave." The man says threateningly.

"Then listen to me, I just want to drink here in peace for once so fuck off." Xu replies, only for the man to grab his shoulder.

Once he grabs Xu's shoulder however Xu takes his hand off him with his free hand and twists the wrist easily, making the mercenary scream out in pain and fall to his knee, holding his hurt hand, causing everyone to stare at the scene due to the scream.

"What is the ruckus here? You out!" The owner asks and shoos Xu outside after seeing that he offended the mercenaries, not wanting her establishment to be involved in the trouble.

"Hmpf." Xu grunts, leaving while giving Talon a glance. One of the other mercenaries however attacks him as he's leaving, intending to stab him in his stomach, Xu returns the favor, twisting the blade and ramming it through the man's throat.

"I'll take out your trash, don't worry." Xu tells the leader of the mercenary, who looks at Xu with interest, intending to offer him a job once they're done.

"Why are we letting him just walk away?" The man whose wrist Xu broke asks angrily.

"Because todays enemy is tomorrows ally." The leader only says before the group retires to their rooms while he and one other member head to the wolf to get revenge for him betraying them and Shax stabs him in his stomach, leaving the smith only a couple of hours to live.

"He certainly doesn't hold back." Garret says shaking his head at Xu.

"I don't know what happened between the two of you but if you want to stay in this outpost you better fix this because he may be even more dangerous than your Lokiri thingy." Garret warns her, with Talon looking after Xu, feeling a mixture of guilt and sadness.

* * *

After waiting a bit Talon heads upstairs to the mercenaries' room and slit the first one's throat while he was sleeping, saying "This is for the black bloods." The other one in the room shoots up and gets his sword while Talon gets out her own as well. She and the man clash blades pretty evenly and Talon gets kicked out of the room , through the window with the man alerting his two remaining comanions, and lands on a small wall, where she and the man who follows after her start to fight each other barehanded, both having dropped their weapons to the ground in the fight.

Talon holds herself pretty well against the more experienced man but he manages to get the upper hand and throws her to the ground with him jumping after her. While she's lying on the floor, holding her stomach, where he kicked her The man retrieves his sword in a matter of seconds and is about to stab her until he suddenly falls over dead, landing right beside her with a unique giant axe sticking out of his back and Xu walking over to her, still a few dozen meters away.

Back at the mercenaries' room Shax peers out of the window and sees Talon running away. He and his last soldier follow her while Xu realizes what she's doing and heads to the sewers from another direction.

Talon heads to the sewer tunnels, leading the mercenaries straight into the Lokiri's home so to speak.

Talon heads to the wide room where the Lokiri encountered her last time and waits for the mercenaries to show up. Shax runs into the room after hearing his fellow mercenaries scream once they split up and he releases some chains holding up a gate, blocking the Lokiri from getting to him.

"What the gods are you?" Shax asks fearfully, seeing the demon stare at him from behind the bars.

Talon swings at the man while his back is still turned to her and he blocks the strike before attacking her with his own swings.

Talon and Shax clash blades for a while with him cutting her slightly a few times while taunting her with her dead race, to get her to make a mistake. Once he reveals that the wolf is the blacksmith, she's grown to trust Shax catches her off guard and slashes her across her stomach before she gets some space between them and refocuses herself. They clash blades again and Talon loses her, getting pressured into a corner only for her to grab her dagger and duck under his next swing, stabbing him in the stomach twice before finishing off by ramming her dagger into his neck.

After she's finished with the bones talon pulls up the gate, letting the Lokiri enter the room with her facing it head on. Once the Lokiri is face to face with her she tells him that she knows he wants to bring more of his kind and that she can't do that if she's dead while he pokes her with one of his long claws, not going deep but causing her pain.

When he retreats the arm she sees a wound on it and recalls how a Lokiri arm saved her when she was a little girl. Upon remembering this, the being inside her, left there by her mother activates, glowing light blue under her skin and opens a portal She orders it to go back where it comes from a final time and the Lokiri disappears into the portal.

The next thing Talon knows is she hears clapping.

"Who's there?" Talon asks on guard.

"Who do you think? As though there'd be anyone else worried enough about you to follow you down here." Xu tells her, entering the room from a passage he was watching the scene unfold from.

"True." She says.

"The smith, I need to see if he's still alive." Talon says remembering Shax saying he killed him.

When the two get to the smithy they see him leaning against his bed weakly.

"The Lokiri?" The smith asks.

"I sent him back." She answers and takes his hand, rolling up the sleeve to reveal the double cross.

"Why? You were one of the scums that killed my people." She asks him, feeling betrayed.

"Not my finest hour. But I'm not sorry I did it." He tells her.

"You son of a bitch!" She says angrily.

"If I hadn't done it I wouldn't have discovered you." He tells her.

"You're no better than the rest of them." She accuses him.

"You're right, I was no better. But when your Lokiri came between my arrow and you, I looked into your eyes and I was changed, since then I devoted my life to studying the prophecies and hoping I'd find you." He tells her.

"You should've told me." She says.

"If I had, would you have listened to me?" He asks.

"Promise me you'll fullfil the prophecy. For you, so you never forget." The smith tells her, handing her the sword he finished for her, with the blackblood prophecy engraved on it.

"Find the book of names, promise me. Find it before the Drachman finds you." The smith tells her with his dying breath.

"I promise." She says with tears falling out of her eyes, closing his eyes after he passed on.

"Will you be OK?" Xu asks her, ignoring his disappointment in her for the moment, since she just had one hell of a night.

"What do you think?" She asks wiping away her tears.

"Sorry for asking, I'll leave you alone." He says standing up from his crouched position beside her and heads to the door.

"Wait." Talon says, getting up herself after lying the smith down so he's lying on the floor.

"What is it now?" Xu asks with a heavy sigh, not bothering to face her.

"Turn around." She tells him once she's right behind him.

"If you want to kill me just do it." He says but instead of attacking him like he assumed she jumps up at him, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him feverishly while he holds her up by her thighs.

"What's brought this on?" He asks in between kisses.

"I guess you were right, I wasn't ready to start something real until I was finished with my past." She tells him, running one hand over the side of his face and leans back so he lets her to the ground, complying with the wordless request he sets her down. She picks up his axe, which he dropped when she jumped on him and leans it against a wall in the smithy.

"What are you doing?" He asks her when she opens the door and pulls him after her.

"I'm taking you to my room." She tells him with a sensual smile gracing her lips.

"How about we go to my room instead? Less corpses and all." He suggests with a smirk.

"Alright, lead the way." She agrees, following after him hand in hand.

* * *

|Xu's room - lemon|

When the two enter the room, Talon looks around the sparsely filled room which only consists of a bed, a table, a chair and a shelf.

Xu leads her over to the bed, where she sits down and he takes off her shirt as well as both their boots, throwing them down next to the bed. He grabs a bucket with water he has in the room and a cloth, wetting it before he kneels down in front of her, wiping away the black smears she has on her stomach from the shallow cut she received in the fight against Shax. The wound is already starting to fade.

"I think you heal even faster than me." He tells her with a grin, cleaning the wound on her shoulder from when the Lokiri struck her carefully.

Once he finished this he puts the bucket away and notices that the room is pitch dark, since it's the middle of the night right now.

"Wait here a second." Xu tells Talon, taking his candle and entering the hallway to light it with a torch. When he comes back in the room shortly afterwards, he Talon missing and looks around confused, seeing the clothes still on the floor with some new additions.

At the sound of the door being closed and locked behind him he swerves around, seeing a completely nude Talon smile at him mischievously as she takes his free hand and pulls him after her back to the bed with Xu placing the candle on the table in the room, providing them with at least some light.

Talon turns towards him, giving him a kiss and takes hold of his shirt, starting to pull it upwards until he stops her, taking her hands gently and putting them at her sides while giving her an insecure look which confuses her for a moment before he drops his pants and underpants to the floor and picks her up with ease, lying her down in the middle of the bed.

"Someone is eager." She says with a sultry smile, licking her lips at seeing his manhood.

Seconds later Xu joins her on the bed with a chuckle, hovering over her and kisses her passionately while she reaches down and runs a hand over his member, stroking it until it's fully erect. After breaking their kiss Xu takes a moment to behold the sight of the alluring woman beneath him before he pushes into her with a grunt, making her release the breath she didn't even know she was holding with content. Xu then starts to rock his hips against hers, holding back his strength so he doesn't accidentally hurt her. The two continue to fuck like this for a couple minutes, both breathing heavily with Talon squealing every now and then when he hits an especially pleasurable spot inside her. She then tries to remove his shirt, wanting to feel their skin pressed against each other instead of being separated by the baggy shirt hanging from his torso. When she starts to tug at his shirt however he grabs her hand with one of his, holding him up with the other and sees her looking at him with love.

"What's wrong?" She asks him surprised, when he stops her hand and stops pumping his hips in her.

"My back, I don't want you turn away from me in disgust or run away out of fear." He says sounding scared.

She releases her hold on his shirt and reaches up with the hand, cupping his face while her other hand fumbles around in their pile of clothes until she finds her dagger and cuts one of her finger slightly. She runs the appendage dripping with her black blood over the top of her breasts and under her eyes telling him reassuringly, "I accept you, just as you've accepted me.".

She then turns her head to her right and takes her long black hair in her hands, pulling it over her head and reveals one of her ears, with their scarred top from when she cut off the tips to him, closing her eyes with shame.

He gently brushes over the ear, noticing her flinch at the contact. Turning her head back so she's looking up he reaches over to her other side, pulling the hair over her head on that side as well, revealing her other ear to him while a few braids fall back in place, framing her face. He kisses her ear a few times and whispers "You're absolutely gorgeous." in the ear before he rights himself again, taking hold of both of her hands. He sits up while pulling her with him, his member now slipping out of her folds while she's sitting in his lap and he crosses his legs. He then leads her hands to the edge of his shirt and finally lets her pull it over his head, removing the last of his clothing. She then lets her hands carefully roam over his back, noticing how he shivers when she leans into his chest, pressing her breasts against him when she reaches around him to see how far down the back the grey skin reaches. Once she's explored all of his grey skin she hugs herself close to him, wrapping her arms around his back with him holding her up at her waist. She then runs her tongue over his left shoulder, where the two skin types meet, eliciting a moan from her lover.

"Like that?" She asks with a triumphant smirk, leaning back slightly so she's facing him. Xu only nods quietly, looking deep into her eyes.

"Good." She says grinning devilishly and leans back into him, biting and nibbling at his shoulder, surprised that the border of the skins is actually very sensitive. When she starts to pay attention to his shoulder Xu slides his hands further down her hips until he grasps her ass in his hands, lifting her up slightly, so she's further up his body and holds her to himself with one hand while the other grasps his member and guides it back to her dripping wet entrance, sheathing himself in her and making her rake her hand over his back in surprise.

Xu then pushes against her shoulder with one hand until she's facing him again and starts to bounce her up and down on his stiff member making her laugh in pleasure the first few times.

They continue this for a while before Xu lifts her off his leg, lying her on her back again and is over her seconds after, looking deep in her eyes and says "You probably know this already but I love you Talon." He says, kissing her on her neck, sucking on a spot and gives her a hickey.

"I feel the same." She tells him, holding him close to herself.

"Shall we continue?" Xu whispers teasingly in her ear after kissing her neck a few more times and lets his hands roam over her breasts, groping them softly, eliciting a couple of squeals from the girl underneath him.

"If you're up to it." She replies, giving him a challenging grin.

"Oh, you're in for one long night." He says and enters her again and they continue to fuck like rabbits for half a dozen rounds until they agree to call it a draw and collapse next to each other.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning Talon wakes up, feeling large arms wrapped around her as both she and Xu lie cuddled together in his bed. She peels herself out of her large lover's grip and starts to dress herself, waking Xu in the process.

"Good Morning." He greets her, sitting up in his bed.

"Morning." She replies.

"Are you in a hurry?" He asks, seeing her almost completely dressed, only needing her shirt and jacket.

"Well Wythers is probably still looking for me and the dead bodies across town won't really help my case." She tells him.

"Right, so what do you intend to do?" He asks, stepping out of his bed and starts to dress himself as well.

"For now? I'm going over to the smith to bury him." She tells him.

"Alright. Do you need a hand? I'm suspended from guard duty anyways after knocking out all those guards in front of the prison." He offers.

"Sure, if you won't slow me down." She says smirking at him challengingly, since she's already finished dressing herself and he just started.

"Hmpf." He grunts in return and finishes dressing himself.

"So, about last night." He says, once the two are on their way to the smith's house.

"What about it?" She asks with a mirthful grin.

"I just wanted to check how things stand between us." He says.

"Things are good I'd say, won't you?" She asks.

"Yeah, just had to ask since you did a complete 180 yesterday." He says with a small sigh.

"Well, things happen. But in the end it turned out great for both of us wouldn't you say?" She asks with a smirk.

"If we overlook the fact that you're still a fugitive and about to be thrown out, then yeah." He agrees with a chuckle.

* * *

When the two get to the smithy Talon prepares the corpse and looks at the sword the smith made for her.

"Say, what book did the smith want you to find again?" Xu asks, looking at the bookshelf in the smithy.

"The book of names. But I doubt it's there. He said to find it not that it's on the shelf." Talon replies.

"Talon. I uhm, heard that Shax killed the smith. I'm sorry, I know he was close to you." Janzo announces his presence, stepping into the smithy.

"He was one of the bones I was looking for." She informs the brewer.

"What? He had the mark? Do you need help disposing of the body?" Janzo asks surprised and checks the corpses arm, finding the double cross tattoo.

"Thanks, I've already got some help." Talon replies, pointing at Xu, who's basically glaring at the bookshelf.

"Did you take up some reading?" Janzo asks interested.

"Nope, this is all gibberish to me. I'm trying to find any clue on that book Talon is supposed to find." Xu replies.

"That's Indrian. I can read it, well parts of it, I can actually read 12 different tongues, though I only speak 3." Janzo explains, looking at the book Xu's holding.

"You're amazing." Talon exclaims, joining the two at the bookshelf.

"Do you mean that? Uhm, I'm a little rusty with Indrian, since no one speaks it after they were all slaughtered by the Prime Order." Janzo tells her.

"They're all dead?" Talon asks curious.

"Just like your people, sorry that was insensitive of me." Janzo says and immediately apologizes.

"Why would the Order wipe them out?" Talon inquires.

"Most ancient prophecies were written in Indrian and with no one left to translate them the Order can interpret them however they wish. It's a wonderful language by the way, I could just sit here and read for days." Janzo explains.

"Well, knock yourself out. You can read everything in the room." She offers.

"Really? You wouldn't mind?" Janzo asks excited.

"Yeah, just keep your eyes out for something called the book of names." She tells him.

"OK, why?" He asks.

"The smith made Talon promise to find it before his death." Xu says.

"There you are Janzo, I've been looking all over for you." Munt says, stumbling into the house.

"Why?" He asks.

"Good news, mistress said the bird came." Munt informs him.

"That's not good news Munt, not for me." Janzo replies and follows the large man.

While Janzo is out Talon and Xu take the smith into the woods surrounding the outpost and give him a proper burial, which gets interrupted by the Marshal fetching them, having been send by Gwynn to bring her to the princess after Garret told Gwynn about Talon's abilities.

* * *

"There she is, still alive as it happens, and she's brought a friend." The marshal says, bringing Talon and Xu into the throne room where Gwynn is sitting with Gareth at her side.

"Marshal wait outside, this doesn't concern you." Gwynn orders while eyeing Xu with distrust.

The Marshal bows and leaves the room, closing the doors behind him.

"Talon, we have so much to talk about." Gwynn tells her, going over to the blackblood.

"Let's start with why you decided to let Wythers take my head." Talon replies.

"It wasn't a decision that came lightly. At the time I could not see any other way." Gwynn tells her.

"Than to safe your own skin you mean." Talon says feeling betrayed.

"Are we done here? I have to be gone by sundown." She then asks Garret, taking Xu's arm to leave.

"Wythers blackmailed me to get to you. I hated myself for what I did, but please I wish for you to stay." Gwynn almost begs her, making Talon pause in her step towards the door.

"Help me overthrow the Prime Order." Gwynn says, after exchanging a quick glance with Garret.

"What? Is that why you want me here? To help you commit treason?" Talon asks angrily.

"Just listen. My name is not Gwynn and commander Calcusar is not my father. I am Rosemond, daughter of King Realnorth, which makes me heir to the realm." Rosemond reveals, making Talon and Xu look towards Garret, who nods in confirmation.

"Let's say I believe you. What do I do now? Am I supposed to kneel?" Talon asks.

"No, not at all. I hope we can still be friends. And I'm hoping you'd join our cause." Rosemond replies.

"You too Xu, you'd be a great asset." Garret adds.

"What can a few hundred men if the Outpost do against the Prime Order?" Talon questions.

"We have more men than you think. He saw them and with your help Talon we can have more than just men." Garret tells her.

"Those trainees? They can barely lift a shield, let alone fight against the Orders men." Xu chimes in.

"Great, you'll have weak men plus a woman." Talon says.

"Tell me of this demon." Rosemond asks Talon.

"So does everybody know about that now?" Talon asks Garret accusingly.

"Only those who need to." Garret answers truthfully.

"The demon is gone. I send it back where it belongs." Talon informs them.

"Tell me more, I want to understand. Are there more than one of such creature?" Rosemond asks.

"You ask dangerous questions, princess." Xu tells her, raising his axe on his shoulder from its previous position, leaning against the floor.

"I only have one name. That's how I summon them, by its name." Talon informs them, grabbing Xu's arm to hold him back from making himself an enemy of the princess.

"Well then you need to find more, how did you find the first one?" Rosemond tells her.

"The smith, but he's dead now. Wait, the book of names." Talon says, mumbling the last part to herself.

"What?" Rosemond asks.

"I have to go." Talon tells them and turns to leave, with Xu following her after giving Garreth a suspicious look.

"But you'll stay here at the Outpost?" Rosemond asks hopefully.

"For now." Talon replies before she and Xu leave the room.

"What now?" Xu asks Talon once they are outside the building.

"Back to the smithy, I just realized that the book of names must contain the demon names." Talon tells him.

"Makes sense I guess." Xu replies, following the girl back to the smithy.

* * *

"Janzo, you can stop reading. The book is a list of …." Talon starts to say when Janzo already cuts her off, saying "a list of demon names. And I just read that you, being a black blood actually can summon a Lokiri, which is a demon." Janzo tells her.

"I know what a Lokiri is Janzo." She tells her friend.

"So if you had a whole list of names you could summon an entire army." Janzo says, realizing the importance of the book.

"Stop it Janzo, this is dangerous stuff we're talking about." Talon says, trying to take away a book he was reading.

"No, no, no. Or do you want to break your promise to the smith? Even if you find the book it doesn't mean you have to use it." Janzo advises.

"He's not wrong about that. Having a trump card for worst case scenarios couldn't hurt." Xu agrees with the brewer.

"I'm not going to find it anyways." Talon tells the two, sounding exhausted.

"Hey, you're not alone in this. You got us, right Janzo?" Xu tells Talon, sitting down next to her, pulling her into a side hug.

"Yes. Uhm, did something happen between you two? Last I saw you, you were about to rip each other's heads off." Janzo asks them suspiciously.

"Yeah, we made up and are now closer than ever." Talon tells him.

"I see, well either way I'm happy to read all of this for you." Janzo says, motioning to the books behind him.

"Why would you go through that trouble?" She asks slightly surprised.

"Well, I like discovering stuff and you are remarkable and lead an adventurous life." Janzo tells her.

"Janzo, Xu and I we're…." Talon says uncomfortably.

"I see that, but that doesn't change that we're all friends does it?" Janzo asks wisely.

"Of course not." Talon agrees with a happy smile.

"And friends help each other out…." Janzo adds.

"What are we talking about here?" Talon asks the brewer suspiciously.

"Well I need to go out of town for a few days to deliver something and I'd like to have some company, someone who I can talk to and will help deliver the goods." Janzo says nervously.

"What aren't you telling us?" Xu asks the brewer.

"Well the area I need to travel to can be dangerous…." Janzo says.

"Alright allright, I'll go with you I owe you at least that much." Talon tells him with a playful grin.

"Hey I can continue to translate some of the stuff while we're on the road." Janzo suggests.

"So should I come as well?" Xu asks the two, looking at his new girlfriend.

"No, I got this. I think it's better if you try to make nice with Garret and the guards." Talon tells him.

"What about the pri… uhm Gwynn?" Xu asks.

"Getting on her good side wouldn't hurt, but don't trust her. Especially with this." She tells him, whispering the last part, touching his back.

"Alright. I'll go see Garret then." Xu agrees with a nod and gives her a quick peck on her nose before leaving the smithy.

* * *

When he arrives at the barracks Garret is instructing a group of his most loyal men to ready themselves to transport some weapons and Gwynn as well as her father to the camp outside the outpost.

"AH, Xu good timing. We are about to deliver some weapons and Gwynn to the camp outside the outpost and having you as backup would be rather reassuring." Garret tells the large man.

"What about my suspension, for defending Talon?" Xu asks surprised.

"Consider the matter dealt with. To be honest I am glad you stepped in." Garret tells him.

"Alright, I guess I should get my gauntlets." Xu says, heading to his room to fetch the weapons.

* * *

An hour or so later the caravan with Rosalind, her father, Garret and Xu amongst them, next to five other soldiers are heading down the street towards the camp.

"How can we be certain that the men in the camp will help us with our goal?" The girl asks her father figure.

"The men don't care about politics, they only care about themselves, that they get food and can take care of their families." General Calkussar replies, riding just behind the princess and Garret.

"Wait here. They surely are heading for the Outpost because of the missing delivery." Garret tells the caravan, stopping them.

"I'll take care of it, whatever happens protect Gwynn." Garret tells the men and slowly rides over to the leader of the group of the order standing in their way.

"Captain McNor." Garret greets the commander.

"Spears, it's been a long time." The commander greets him as well.

"What are you doing all the way out here?" Garret asks him.

"We were about to head towards the last Outpost to collect the weapons delivery you still need to give us. Lucky for us, you're here already." The commander replies.

"Better late than never. But you can relax now, we'll deliver it to the Ackley post." Garret says.

"No you won't. Just had it over to us." Captain McNor tells him.

"Do you have the documents?" He asks Garret.

"Of course." Garret lies and gets off his horse, walking over the rest of the way to the captain.

"I have them right here." Garret says and fetches a dagger from a sheath on his back, ramming it in the man's neck killing him instantly with the group of around 15 soldiers moving to attack him.

Four of the five soldiers rush to Garret's aid and manage to shoot down two soldiers of the order before getting struck down by the orders crossbows.

"Can you keep the princess safe?" Xu asks the General, who gives him a confident nod, positioning himself in front of his daughter figure on his horse while Xu rides towards the enemies, his axe resting on one shoulder while he holds it there with one hand.

When the archers of the take aim at him and Garret Xu jumps off his horse, flying through the air and lands right in front of the four archers, taking them out with one swing of his axe, making Rosalind flinch at the brutal display of strength.

"Garret, duck!" Xu yells at his commander and Garret rolls forward as best as he can while he's surrounded by about 10 enemies.

Garret remains crouched down after the roll, his sword still raised to defend himself and just as he gets worried with the men behind him moving to attack him he hears painful screams and the three soldiers who were right behind him are lying on the ground, blood spraying everywhere with Xu's axe imbedded in the last soldier while the other two have half their torso separated from their bodies.

Xu raises his gauntlets and joins Garret in the fight, standing back to back with the swordsman.

"Looks like it was a really good decision to ask you to come." Garret tells Xu, still nervous about the fight, but considerably less so with Xu at his side.

"Too bad there are only so few of them." Xu says, catching a downward slash from one of the soldiers with one hand, snapping the blade in half, by twisting his hand to the side and packs the attacker by the back of his helmet, throwing him face first into the ground.

Xu then leans to the side, dodging a spear attack coming from his left and grabs onto the spear after he dodged it, tugging on it he steals the opponents weapon and twirls it around his wrist once, stabbing at the attacker himself, causing the spear to pierce right through his armor and come out of his back.

Meanwhile Garret also managed to defeat two opponents with his superior swordsmanship.

Xu retrieves his axe from the corpse it's buried in and raises it at his side, gripping It with both hands, before jumping behind the remaining four men who are facing Garret and twirls around, decapitating the remaining men.

"Well. That was easier than I expected, too bad our men got taken down as well." Garret says disappointed.

"At least the princess is unharmed." Xu tells the commander, patting his back and causing him to stumble forwards a step.


	8. Chapter 8

After their encounter with the group from the Prime Order the remaining group of 5 head to the camp, where they deliver the weapons after which Gwynn presents herself as the Queen and tells the recruits that they are going to declare war against the Prime Order, in order to free their land.

While this is happening Talon and Janzo meet with the Colipsum Supplier, discovering that they are greyskins, but they make the trade anyways.

The next day Janzo and Talon start to head back to the Outpost after making the exchange. While the two are heading back, in the Outpost the corpse of Gwynn's handmaiden is found buried in a field and Gwynn sentences Garret's father to work in the mines amongst the criminals, convinced that he killed her.

Across the country Everit Dred with a large troupe of men prepares to head to the Outpost upon getting word that The Bones are all dead with Black blood found by their corpses. He also sends out Essa Khan, a mercenary for hire to find and destroy the book of names.

During the same night Garret, who is staying at the camp with the recruits gets stung by an Plagueling while protecting the camp. He heads back to the Outpost the same night and turns to the one person he trusts to make the right call, Xu.

* * *

|the next day|

"Captain, the princess is searching the Outpost high and low to find you, don't you think we should tell her?" Xu asks, bringing the captain, who chained himself up in Janzo's lab/ brewery some food.

"No, I don't want her to see me like this. She couldn't handle this, not now. Not when we're about to go to war against the order. Let's wait for Janzo and hear what he thinks." Garret replies.

"Let me see again." Xu says, nodding at the captains leg.

Garret rolls up his pants' leg, showing Xu where he's been stung with the skin around it turning an angry red.

"Doesn't seem that bad." Xu says, looking at the wound.

"It never does up until a worm crawls out of my mouth and I try to infect you too." Garret replies, taking another swig from a bottle of booze.

"Drinking won't stop it." Xu reminds the captain.

"But it helps keep away the worries." Garret snickers in a drunken voice.

"Have it your way, I should get back to my post. I'll bring Janzo by when I see him." Xu tells the captain, leaving him alone in the Inn's basement.

A couple hours later Talon and Janzo arrive at the Inn, carrying in the two heavy barrels filled with Colipsum.

"Oh, you're back. Mom wants to see you." Munt tells Janzo, waking up at the loud bang they make putting down the barrels.

"Can you get us something to drink Janzo?" Talon asks, sitting down at the counter with Janzo fetching two mugs.

"We're a a bit dried out from the travel so mom will have to wait." Janzo tells his adoptive brother.

"He's back!" Munt shouts, alerting his mother to Janzo's arrival, who then shouts for him repeatedly.

Janzo goes to his mother's room and informs her of what happened and when he thinks she would be proud of him she talks down to him again and he leaves annoyed.

"Hello? Is somebody there?" Janzo asks, hearing something tip over as he looks around his brewery.

"Garret, what are you doing here?" Janzo asks, when Garret grabs onto his arm from his chained up spot.

"I need you to tell me if I'm going to turn." Garret tells him.

"What?" Janzo asks confused.

"Didn't Xu tell you? I've ben stung." Garret informs the brewer, sitting down on his table.

"What do you want me to do here?" Janzo asks.

"Kill me. I don't want to turn into one of those things." Garret tells him.

"Janzo! We had an agreement. You read the books so we can find the book before the Drachman." Talon tells Janzo, walking down into his brewery.

"What's going on here?" She asks, seeing Garret with one hand chained to a pillar sitting on the table with a mug in his hand.

"He's been infected by a plagueling." Janzo tells Talon.

"How are you feeling? Excessive sweating? Racing of the heart?" Janzo asks the captain.

"I don't know, you tell me." Garret chuckles drunkenly.

"He's definitely sweating." Talon remarks, seeing his drenched clothing.

"Well your heart is racing too, but that might be because you're scared." Janzo tells him, feeling his pulse.

"Are you drunken?" Talon asks Garret sternly.

"Are you? Because I am and that's because I'm only sitting around here and you brew a very fine beer Janzo." Garret replies.

"Aren't you against Beer and Colipsum?" Talon questions.

"That changes quick when you're about to die. It's remarkable." Garret slurs.

Janzo then performs a couple tests, explaining to the two that Garret will turn tomorrow the soonest, since everyone turned between the third and sixth day of being stung.

"But not everyone turns right?" Garret asks.

"Maybe one in thirteen doesn't, so you have a slim chance." Janzo remarks.

"Fine then. Go and tell Xu to fetch Gwynn." Garret tells Janzo.

"Why should I? Talon can go." Janzo protests.

"Just go." Garret tells him and Janzo leaves reluctantly.

"Talon, you and Xu. You're the only ones I trust to kill me." Garret tells her, pulling on her arm so she's sitting beside him on the table.

"No, Janzo will find a way." Talon replies.

"Maybe, but just in case. One of you two needs to kill me if I turn. Promise me. Xu already gave me his word, now I need yours." Garret tells her.

"Alright, I promise but only if there is no other way." Talon replies.

* * *

Half an hour later Xu and Janzo are waiting in front of Gwynn's chambers.

"You are the barkeeper, right?" Gwynn asks Janzo, glancing at Xu.

"brewer, my lady. I have a message for you. A private message." Janzo tells her.

"It's about Garret." Xu adds.

"What did he say, where is he? Is he well?" Gwynn asks, dragging the two in her room quickly.

"I'm afraid not. He's infected by the plaguelings. He wanted me to bring you to him." Xu tells her.

"then bring me. Now!" Gwynn says freaking out.

Soon after back in the brewery.

"My beloved." Gwynn says, rushing over to Garret, who's still sitting on the table with Talon.

"Don't get too close." Talon remarks, holding the princes back from throwing herself at the captain.

"Can't any of you heal him?" Gwynn asks desperately, looking around the three others in the room.

"There is no cure, from what is known there is a parasite growing inside him, growing in his throat until it gets tentacles which reach into his brain." Janzo explains.

"Can't you just kill it while it's growing?" Gwynn asks tearing up at seeing Garret so disheveled.

"I don't know. I never had someone infected who was still himself. Maybe we could make him drink acid, wait no that would kill him." Janzo says.

"If he dies, you die." Gwynn tells him harshly.

"He is basically already dead." Janzo remarks.

"She doesn't want to hear that." Xu tells him.

"I can't change the facts however and I can't work on him with the lady threatening my life." Janzo tells Gwynn pissed off.

"He's right, you should go." Garret says.

"But you send for me." Gwynn replies.

"I just wanted to say goodbye while I'm still me." Garret tells her softly.

"Gwynn I can't risk you endangering yourself and I don't want you to remember me in this state, so please go." Garret says.

"No I won't go. Garret I love you." She tells him while crying.

"I love you too but you have to go. Please. Xu, Talon." Garret says, getting his two comrades to bring Gwynn away.

* * *

|Gwynn's chamber|

"For years now I've been scared I could lose Garret. He's always been a soldier but over time I imagined him to be unbeatable." Gwynn says staring at her table while Talon is standing in front of her fireplace with Xu leaning next to the door.

"Don't give up hope yet. If someone can save him, it's Janzo." Talon tells the princess.

"It's weird you know, how similar we are." Gwynn says, joining Talon at the fireplace.

"We aren't that similar." Talon replies.

"Yes we are, we're both women in an outpost full of men, both our families have been murdered by the prime order and we both have power we wish we didn't. Both of our fates will most likely lead to our death. And both of us have feelings for Garret." Gwynn tells her.

"What? I don't." Talon tells her shocked.

"Losing him would hurt you almost as much as me." Gwynn replies.

"Because he's a friend. I'm with Xu now and we should go." Talon informs Gwynn.

"No Talon wait I'm sorry for assuming. I am very thankful that you're here and are consoling me. I'm serious with wanting us to be friends whatever may happen." Gwynn tells her, pulling her into a hug.

"We should get back to Janzo." Xu reminds Talon after a while of the two hugging each other.

"Yes, you should. And you treat Talon right or I'll have your head." Gwynn tells Xu.

"No worries there, I'm usually the one getting mistreated." Xu chuckles, giving Talon a wink.

"Come on." Talon tells him laughing while shaking her head.

* * *

Back at the brewery Talon and Xu sit down at one of Janzo's tables, looking through some of the smith's books while Garret lies on another one knocked out by Janzo feeding him rat poison.

"Hey Talon, Janzo? could that mean anything?" Xu asks the two, showing them a picture in the book he was looking through which pictures a book surrounded by writing, lying on an Altar.

"The Vex Rexicon, that's it." Janzo tells them excitedly.

"What does it say?" Talon asks, handing Janzo the book.

"It says where it's kept. It's in some kind of Temple, the shrine mernoc." Janzo translates.

"Where is that?" Xu asks, never having heard of it.

"I read it somewhere, wait a second." Janzo tells them, going to a wall with scrolls, looking through them until he finds the one he's looking for which has some kind of map on it.

"What kind of map is that? I don't recognize anything." Talon asks, looking at the scroll.

"Neither do I." Janzo says.

"Wait, couldn't that be… where we met?" Xu asks, looking at Talon while pointing at a spot on the map.

"You're right. This S like path between the two mountains, it's the Kadrian's pass." Talon agrees.

"This map must be ancient, the streets are different now." Talon adds.

"If that's true, then the temple is in…" Janzo says.

"Greyskin territory." Talon finishes with a nod.

"Which is terrible news." Janzo says dreadfully.

"Not really. The greyskins won't be interested in the book so it should still be there. I'm going to go look for it." Talon says decidedly.

"Alright, count me in." Xu tells her.

"I'm coming too." Garret tells them sounding exhausted.

"You're awake, how are you doing?" Janzo asks, going over to check on the captain.

"I've been better." Garret groans sitting up.

"Janzo is there anyway you can treat me?" Garret asks.

"No, not really." Janzo replies.

"Then I'm going with Talon." Garret says.

"So you can infect us, no thanks." Talon says, grabbing Xu's hand and starting to lead him out of the room.

"Wait. You want to find the book so you can help our fight against the prime order and I have at least 2 days remaining. Let me do something meaningful with them." Garret tells them.

"Then I'm coming too." Janzo chimes in.

"No." Garret tells him.

"We might need Janzo, none of us can read the language. How would we know that we've found the right book." Xu tells Talon.

"Alright, if you two want to come, then come." Talon agrees with a sigh.

"When are we heading out?" Xu asks Talon.

"Now, the longer I'm with you the further we'll get." Garret answers.

"I doubt that but OK." Xu says shaking his head at his captains view of things.

* * *

|half an hour later- wall leading to Greyskin territory|

"I don't get why we can't go through the gate and walk around the wall?" Janzo asks, looking down the steep drop from the giant wall.

"Because the outpost is blocking any way into our territory, which means we can't get to the greyskins by usual methods either." Garret informs him.

"Come on let's go." Xu says, grabbing Janzo around his waist and jumping down the wall while holding onto a rope with his other hand, landing about halfway down the wall before kicking off and descending the rest of the way with Janzo praying to the gods loudly.

"Garret, Garret. Why are you going too? We should spend the remaining time together." Gwynn asks running up to him before he goes over the wall.

"I'm doing this for you. If we find the book Talon can help in your war against the order." Garret informs her.

"It's our war. So come back to me." Gwynn tells him, kissing him passionately.

"I have to go." Garret says, breaking the kiss and stepping onto the ledge on the other side of the wall, going down the wall and joining the other three.

So Janzo, since you're here too, lead the way." Xu tells the brewer, lightly throwing him his bag which he dropped during their descend.

"We have to chain up Garret. He could turn any moment." Janzo tells them, getting out some shackles.

"Alright if you say so." Xu says shrugging and puts the cuffs around his captain.

"Just don't slow us down will ya?" Xu tells him with a smirk.

When they are gone Gwynn sends for Danno and brings him on her side, reminding him of the common enemy they share, the prime order who burned Danno's throat and turned him into a mute.

* * *

After a days journey the groups water supply is low and they come across a shed with some barrels near it.

"What's that?" Janzo asks with Talon who's leading the charge stopping them.

"An old look-out. Maybe from a long time ago during the border wars." Garret says.

"I've seen one before, with greyskins in them." Talon tells the group.

"What could those barrels be?" Talon asks, looking at the three barrels in front of the look-out.

"Maybe it's beer or water? What do greyskins drink?" Janzo suggests.

"They drink water. But something doesn't feel right here." Xu informs them.

"I don't care I could drink anything and it looks abandoned." Garret says dropping his bag.

"I'm going ahead." Talon tells him, stopping Garret from walking ahead without a weapon.

"Wait here you two." Xu tells the others, going after Talon, his axe resting on his shoulder.

Talon reaches the opening to the small hut and looks inside, seeing only a few animal skins and a lot of cobwebs when 4 greyskins come out of the woods around them, charging at the group, three heading to Talon and Xu with one going for Garret and Janzo, who is panicking and hides behind Garret, who takes his sword from Janzo's bagpack.

Talon faces one of the greyskins, leaning back and dodging under the opponents staff swing, before sliding to her right side, dodging a downward swing from the giant and she gets out her sword, slashing the greyskin at his leg before dodign another two wild swings from the beast and steps around it, stabbing it in its back with a dagger before getting flung away by a backhand slap from the beast.

Xu charged at the other two greyskins head on, swinging his axe in a wide arc and smashes the staffs they were carrying, the two beasts throw the remainders aside and run to him, intending to rip him apart barehanded.

Xu however jumps and kicks off from one of the two greyskin, sending it tumbling back a step with Xu putting some distance between them. He grabs his axe by the back of its blade and runs towards the other greyskin who was still going for him, when he reaches the creature he stabs the blade into its stomach and ducks under a swing, grabbing onto his axe's handle, ripping it out of the beast, slashing it in half and spraying the greyskin behind it with blood. It gets scared of Xu and tries to run away only for Xu to hurl his axe, splitting the beasts head in two.

Seeing Talon get knocked down he hurries over to her, helping her up before she gets hit by the third greyskins staff and blocks another hit with his gauntlets, raising them up at the horizontal swing, getting flung into the look-out.

Talon then jumps onto the greyskins leg and stabs it in its neck, killing it. She rolls when she falls to the ground and heads over to Garret and Janzo to help them. Garret in the meantime blocked a few hits from the greyskin with his sword before it gets knocked out of his hand.

When Talon reaches the group, she throws her dagger at it, enraging it and making it focus on her. The Greyskin runs at Talon, intending to crush her beneath itself but when its within arms reach of Talon Xu jumps on its back, pulling up under its head with his hands when the two fall to the ground in front of his girlfriend.

Talon quickly stabs the creature in the face while Xu held it in place.

"I told you something didn't feel right." Xu says getting off the corpse and rolling it over, collecting Talons dagger and handing it back to her before fetching his axe from the other greyskin corpse.

"Did we at least find water?" Garret asks, rushing over to the barrels and opening one with his sword only for the barrel to be filled with dirt.

"Great, not even that." Garret sighs.

"Come on we shouldn't waste time here. It's better if we get to higher ground to rest." Xu advises and the group continues on their way until they reach a suitable place to rest for the night.

"Man it's freezing." Garret says leaning against a rock near their campfire.

"As hot as it gets during the day it gets just as cold during the night. Here take some blankets, if this is your last night you should at least be comfortable." Janzo explains, handing him some blankets.

"Here Janzo, you can have mine, I'm just going to join Xu." Talon tells the brewer, handing him her blanket before walking over to Xu, shoving him in the middle of his blanket so she can lie down in front of him.

"You could've asked you know." Xu says with a chuckle, putting an arm around the girls waist while they are spooning.

"I'm sorry did I miss something?" Garret asks, looking at them surprised.

"Xu and I are a couple." Talon tells the captain, leaning over to give Xu a kiss.

"Oh." Garret says, having thought he could have a shot with Talon if things with Gwynn wouldn't work out.


End file.
